Way Out Here
by scarlet tribe
Summary: A new Marshal joins the group and Tim has to show her the ropes. She seems to settle in well, and some of her connections are surprising to some. But when something she's been running from finally catches up to her, secrets are revealed and no one is safe. Currently being updated and being redone.
1. Chapter 1

_In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky, that's the place where I trace my blood line. And it's there I read on a hillside grave stone: You'll never leave Harlan alive._

"Where the sun comes up, about ten in the morning.." she sang along with the song falling out of her truck's stereo. She had her ipod hooked up to it. She thought it was fitting. She thought she'd blown that dump years ago but now she was back. She was torn. As much as she hated that town, she was relieved to be back.

The last time she saw this place she was seventeen. She felt so old. It was so different from where she had been but somehow it was still so familiar. Brandi drove down the long gravel road through the trees, around the bends, until she came upon a clearing. An old house sat near the middle and the gravel road went past it. if it was followed, one would end up at an abandoned stable and then a barn, before the road looped back around to form a small circle.

She stopped her truck and opened her door. She stood but didn't hop off the truck. Brandi looked around. The house was still standing. That goddamn house was still standing. Ivy was crawling up it and the bushes seemed to take over it. Other than that, it just needed new paint and a good wash it seemed. She turned her gaze to the abandoned stables. The door was hanging off it and there was a small hole in the roof, but it was still better off than the barn. The barn's paint had faded. It used to be bright red and was now a reddish brown and half the roof had completely caved in. She would have to fix that, she supposed.

Brandi grabbed her old suitcase from her car and threw her duffle bag over her shoulder and headed up the front porch steps. After ten years, the house seemed alright. She tested each board and found a few that needed to be replace. Some were warped and some had fallen in. She stuck the keys into the front door and pushed it open. It creaked and she made a mental note to fix that as well.

The screen door slammed shut behind her and she stood in the hall. The stairs that lead upstairs were dull and dusty. Wall paper lining the stairwell and halls were peeling and stained. In some rooms, old furniture was covered in white clothes and some windows that were missing glass were boarded up. Brandi climbed up the steps to her old room. It was completely empty. There was no furniture, no bed, no dresser, no nothing. Just the creaky wooden floor and an empty closet. Brandi smiled softly to herself and set her bags down on the dull floor. She shook her head.

"Thanks, mom."

"Tim, can I see you in my office for a second?" Art called from his door. Tim looked over at Raylan and Rachel before standing and heading into Art's office. "Have a seat." Tim did as he was told. Art sat at his own desk and leaned back. "How long you been here in this office?" He asked. Tim took a minute confused to think.

"About ten months. Why?" Tim asked. Art looked at him for a second.

"You feel confidant enough to take a rookie under your wing?" Art asked. Tim looked at Art. "She's fresh out of training and I want someone to show her the ropes and keep her out of trouble."

"You mean she needs a babysitter?" Tim asked, leaning back in the seat. "And Raylan and Rachel can't because…?"

"Well, I figured you two would have more in common." Art said with a small shrug and mischievous grin. Tim eyed him, wary. "She's just got out of the military and then she jumped right into training, might need help adjusting back to civilian life." Art explained, letting a serious expression take over his features. Tim nodded. He knew how much of a challenge that could be.

"Yeah, I'll show her around." Tim said. "She comin' in today?" He asked and stood. Art stood as well and looked at his watch. "She should be here in an hour or so. I'm gonna put her in the spare desk next to you. The one near my office."

"Sounds good." Tim said, sounding unimpressed.

"She shouldn't be too much trouble." Art said. Tim lifted his eyebrows quickly before dropping them. It was a _whatever you say_ expression.

You wouldn't think she'd be so nervous. Then again, the last time she was here she was seventeen and she wasn't in the good graces of the man in charge. That tends to happen when you go cow tipping on his property and let loose a very pissed off bull. Luckily for her, that man has long since retired and now Art Mullen is in charge.

Brandi Calhoun inhaled and exhaled before opening the door to her truck and stepping out into the sunlight. Watching her step out of the truck is almost comical. Brandi is a short young woman but she had plenty of muscle and curves. She was toned and her posture made her seem taller, but she was only five one. She pulled her crazy curly brown hair into a tight ponytail and kept her papers in her hands. They were her assignment papers, her resume, her medical papers, too. Even her psych evals were in there. They liked to be thorough, it made it easier for everyone.

Brandi made her way inside, went through security and made her way upstairs. She hopped off the elevator and walked into the open office area. Before she was even three steps off the elevator, her eyes were looking for two things. A) all possible exits and B) all possible threats. Brandi is always uncomfortable with new places, even before the military. The military just made her dislike for them increase.

As she took a few more steps inside, she looked around at the people. Specifically she was looking for someone to give her directions. The woman to her right was at her desk, writing something down. She was a black woman with a soft face and firm eyes. Brandi stood infront of her desk and leaned in slightly.

"Excuse me." She said, catching the woman's attention. "I'm looking for Art Mullen's office. Can you tell me where that is?" The woman smiled and pointed.

"It's right there. Is he expecting you?" She asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Brandi said, face relaxed. The woman in front of her smiled.

"You can just go in." She said kindly. Brandi offered her a friend smile and a thank you. She straightened up and started walking. She walked passed a bored looking cowboy and then past a blonde man staring intently at his screen. Once she came into his line of sight, is cold blue eyes went straight to her like a magnet. He looked at her and met her dark, hard brown eyes. She kept her face blank and stared right back at him as she walked. His hand held his chin and one finger was curled in front of his mouth but she could tell he wasn't smiling. His face was as blank as hers. She stopped in front of his desk.

"Can I help you?" She asked. He let his hand fall to his desk.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He said.

"Your coworker has already helped me." Brandi said firmly.

"Then why are you still standing here?" Tim asked.

"Why are you staring me down like I'm about to pull a gun?" She countered, not enjoying the scrutiny.

"Brandi." Art called from his office with a small smile on his face. The woman who helped her and the bored cowboy were now looking her way, curious. Art leaned against his door. "I thought you'd be here a bit later." Brandi turned away from Tim and looked at Art.

"I have a lead foot." She said absolutely deadpan. Art looked at her with a blank face before both had grins etched across their faces. Art was laughing silently to himself and Brandi was smiling, trying to ignore the holes being burned into her head by a certain blonde gentleman.

"Come on in, Brandi." Art said. Brandi followed him in and sat when she was told to. She handed over her papers and sat back as Art read them over. "Well, you even included your psych evals. How considerate." Art said. Brandi looked at him, her face blank once more. "I remember the last time you were sitting in this office you were shaking in your boots." Art said.

"I do to." Brandi said. "Never thought I'd be here for a job." She added with a small smile. Art chuckled to himself.

"Your momma would be turning in her grave if she knew." Art said.

"I hope she is." Brandi told him. Art looked at her, humor gone from his expression.

"Why are you here, Brandi?" Art asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but you could be assigned to any state you want, and you chose here? Why?" He asked. Brandi looked at the man she had seen as a father for the last few years she lived in Kentucky. He looked so confused and lost. Brandi exhaled and thought very carefully on her next choice of words. After a brief pause she figured out what she wanted to say.

"I needed to come home." She said. "It was time to come home." Art stared her down and she held his gaze.

"But why?" He asked. "You ain't got no more family, you don't have anyone here. You're not telling me something, Brandi. Why aren't you talkin' to me?" He asked. The pleading tone of his voice made her want to break down and tell him everything. She wanted to tell someone.

"I just needed to come back to Lexington." She said. Art looked at her. She wasn't answering the question. Art opened his mouth to ask a question, but Brandi stopped him. "Art, I'm not in trouble. I swear." She said and paused. Art looked at her, urging her to go on. "I just need to be somewhere familiar for a while. Virginia wasn't really working out." Art sighed.

"I'm not gonna get any more from you am I?" Art asked.

"There is nothing more to tell." She answered quickly, automatically. She used the same tone of voice she used when she was little, insisting the bruises on her face were from a horse, not her mother. Art smiled and stood. He walked past her and she stood, intending to follow but he stopped at his door and leaned out.

"Tim, can you come in here again for a minute?" Art said. Brandi sighed when she saw the blond guy who kept staring at her step in. He nodded at her with a smirk and Art closed the door and walked back to his desk. "Brandi Calhoun, this is Tim Gutterson. Tim, this is Brandi, the woman I spoke to you about earlier." The two looked at each other and shook hands. Tim was almost surprised at how firm her hand shake was. Although after a look over her, he wasn't surprised.

"Art tells me you're ex military." Tim says. Brandi nodded. "Always a pleasure to meet a fellow soldier. Where you serve?" He asked, trying to make polite conversation.

"Iraq, mostly." She said. "You?"

"Little bit of Iraq, bit of Afghanistan. What branch?" Tim asked.

"Marine infantry." Brandi told him, eyeing him up and down. "What did you do?"

"Army Ranger." Tim said. "I was a sniper." He added. Brandi blinked, almost startled and felt a throb in her shoulder. She could hear the gunshot in her head. It took her a second, but she blinked away the memory. Her shoulder was stiff and she brought her hand up in front of her chest and flexed her hand. She hummed, letting him know she had heard him.

"He still is. He's our sniper now, though." Art said and sat down. "Brandi, Tim is gonna show you the ropes for a while and go with you on all outings. You need something, you talk to him. Tim, be sure to show her the ropes, and make sure she plays by the book, please. I don't need another Raylan." Art told them. The two nodded and Art dismissed them. Tim held the door open for her like the gentleman he is and showed her to her desk.

"Ok, here's your desk. Mine's right there." He said pointing to his own desk. "That sulking cowboy fella is Raylan." He said and lowered his voice, facing her again. "I'd stay away from him unless you wanna be sitting in Art's office a lot." After that he spoke in his normal voice. "Rachel is next to him, I think she's the one who helped you out earlier. Ok, if you just have a seat, we'll get your computer all set up and I'll show you what you need to know." He said.

Brandi pulled out her chair and sat down. She draped her tan coat over the back and her forest green polo shirt had sleeves that stopped just below her shoulders. Tim rested his hand on the back of her chair and leaned towards her computer, his other hand resting on her desk. Immediatley, she felt trapped and her breathe damn near caught in her throat. He was too close and she was trapped against a wall.

"Tim." She said quietly but firmly. He looked at her with a hum of acknowledgement and saw she was staring at the screen like it was gonna set on fire. "You need to back off." She said firmly. Tim looked at her posture and tense muscles and understood. He nodded and stood up straight, removing his hands and stepping back.

"Sorry." He apologized and grabbed his own chair, wheeling over next to her. She didn't feel so closed in now and her shoulders started to relax. "Alright, first things first, you need your log in." Tim gave her all her needed passwords and she wrote them down on a memo pad. He showed her all the databases they used and showed her how to look people up and other information. He had her do it a few times on her own to make sure she had a good understanding of what was going on.

Tim found she learned quickly and got a handle on the databases and protocols and procedures. He even covered the procedures for the work they do out side of the office. She had a good understanding of everything and Tim felt comfortable with her abilities but wondered how she would do out in the field. Art would probably giver her a few days to settle in before she's sent out, though.

Before long Tim was back at his desk doing whatever paperwork he needed to get done. He had a file open and decided to have her do some general paper pushing work so she can get in th swing of things. The two sat in silence, typing away. Rachel had made her way over and introduced herself to Brandi. The two spoke briefly and pleasantly. Brandi liked Rachel.

Art sent Raylan and Rachel out before she could meet him. Eventually, Tim got bored and started playing solitaire. Brandi just kept at it. Around four o'clock, Art and Tim got called away to clean up after Raylan. Brandi stayed behind so she didn't get tangled in the mess. Instead, she volunteered to go grab everyone some dinner since it was gonna be a late night. No one argued.

She didn't get much, just some burgers and sodas and two of those family sized bags of chips. She was sitting at her desk, taking the phone calls for her coworkers and taking messages. It was a slow evening for her and she didn't mind it. She had set the food in the conference room and the office was fairly empty. After she ran out of paper work, she made coffee and ended up playing solitaire. Her books were still in Virginia. Around seven was when everyone came back. Art looked ready to kill Raylan.

She pointed out the food and they went and helped themselves. She had already eaten. She ended up leaving around eight. Brandi had nothing more to do so she went home. SHe still had things to unpack.

By the time she got home, the sun was down and she could hear the cicadas in the trees. When she jumped out of her truck, she was truck by how quiet it was. Brandi almost missed the hum of Virginia. Here, back home, she felt isolated, almost lost. But this was where she grew up, and no matter how hard she tried, she would never forget her way around.

ONce in the door, she turned on the front porch light. She was grateful that whoever was in charge of the house while she was gone at least kept the plumbing and electricity going. It was probably the only thing she didn't have to worry about.

She tugged her sleeping bag out of her truck and brought it inside. She unrolled it in her own room and started going through her things. The first thing she pulled out was a picture frame that could fold up and hold three separate pictures. In one of the end panels, a picture captured a moment she shared with her childhood friend. The woman's name was Maura. They were young in the picture and sitting on Maura's car. Maura was in shorts while Brandi was in ripped jeans and a tank top. Maura had a bikin top on. They had driven down to a lake and snuck some booze out of Brandi's mom's liquor cabinet. Brandi smiled when she remembered maura pushing her into the water.

The picture on the other end showed her with a small group of people. They were her friends from her time in the military. They all had funny poses and one of them had picked her up and put her on his shoulders. Someone else had a blonde woman sitting on his shoulders too. One man was sitting on the ground and another put his foot on the man's shoulder, depicting captain morgan. Brandi laughed. She had almost forgotten about them. She smiled sadly and ran a finger over the picture. Most of them were dead now.

The picture in the middle almost always made her feel like tearing up. The middle picture was the only picture she had left of her brother, Leo. The picture was of Leo leaning against his old ford. He had blonde hair and bright blue eyes and his smile could light up the world. His face was covered in soot and he was wearing his mining uniform. She missed him dearly.

Brandi sighed and set the photos down before pulling out her electronics and chargers. SHe plugged them into the wall but set her alarm on her phone. Next she hopped into a warm shower and tried to relax. She focused on breathing. It was so weird living alone. Brandi couldn't remember the last time she lived alone. She breathed in and out slowly, calming herself down. Being alone like this was such a foreign feeling to her now. Of course she had felt like this when she first enlisted, but it quickly passed as she made friends. _This too shall pass._ She thought to herself with a small grin.

She slipped into her sweatpants and a grey shirt and slid into the sleeping bag. Her arms wrapped around her sore ribcage and she breathed. She was home in Kentucky. She was safe here, she had to believe that.

"Christ Almighty, Brandi." Art said as he walked into the office at seven. Brandi looked at him innocently. "How long you been here?" He asked as he walked over to her desk.

"Since five thirty." sHe said.

"Good lord." He said. "The only reason I'm here is so I can get some work done before Raylan makes another mess. Why the hell are you here so early?" Art asked. Brandi shrugged.

"Just enjoying the quiet for now. Answering phones, too. You got two more. I wrote them down and left them on your desk." She told him. Art sighed and looked at her.

"Morning, Art." Tim said as he walked in. "Morning, Brandi." Art nodded and headed into his office. Tim saw the empty cup of coffee on her desk and frowned. "Jesus, how long you been here?" He asked.

"Five thirty." Brandi sighed.

"And people tell me I'm an early riser." Tim said as he set his things down. "You make coffee?" He asked. She nodded and stood.

"I'm gonna go get some myself. Want me to get yours?" She asked. Tim shook his head. "Promise I won't poison it." She offered.

"Nah, I'll get some in a minute." He said. Brandi shrugged and walked away. Brandi returned to see Art about to leave again.

"Brandi, you eat yet?" HE asked.

"No, everything was closed." She said.

"Alright, I'm going to get us some food. " Art said. "You want anything?" He asked.

"Sure, you know what I like." Brandi said. Art nodded and left and Brandi sat at her desk. "So, what do we have going on today? Anything scheduled?" She asked as she leaned back in her chair. Tim looked at his computer as he answered. He looked at his computer so intently all the time, Brandi wondered if that was how he naturally looked.

"You and I got a prisoner transport today at ten." Tim answered. "Art wants to start you off easy." Brandi nodded and sipped her coffee.

"Who is it?" She asked curiously.

"I'm pulling up his picture now." Tim said. Brandi walked over to his desk and looked.

"Ain't he a big fella." Brandi said. Tim snorted. "What he do?"

"Well, he started out as a car theif as far as we know, but once he got into prison, he's been killing inmates left and right. We're moving him to a max security prison about two hours away." Tim explained with a sigh.

"Art's fine with just the two of us?" Brandi asked, surprised, raising her eyebrows.

"You think we should have another person?" Tim asked. Brandi shook her head.

"Nah, just didn't think Art would want a rookie dealing with this guy on their first day." Brandi answered. SHe wasn't scared, she knew what she could handle, but Art didn't.

"Well," Tim said quietly. "technically this is your second day." Brandi rolled her eyes and went back to her own desk. She looked at her coworker and got a really good look at him. His blond hair stuck up in the front and looked to be combed back almost. His blue eyes stared at the computer screen and he had his hand in front of his mouth just like yesterday. He had on a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and khakis. It was a casual outfit and Brandi found herself relieved at her outfit choice. She had jeans on and a white button up shirt. Brandi also had her sleeves rolled up. Rachel's suit had thrown her off and Brandi considered going out and buying one just in case.

People started coming in around eight or so. Raylan, the cowboy, came in last. Brandi was on edge with the prisoner in the other room, but when was she not on edge? THis guy was loud and arrogant, but it almost seemed forced. He was up to something, but BRandi shook off the notion. SHe was overthingking it.

The two guards were standing at the door and there was no way he could get out of that room, but every so often, she would stare at the guards and the door. Apparently he was there to fight being sent to a max security prison.

Brandi watched as Raylan and Art stood with a lawyer talking about how Raylan may want to get his lawyer for their meeting. Brandi wondered what Raylan had done to get into so much trouble. When Art and Raylan went into Art's office, she checked her time. It was quarter to nine, they would have to head out in a minute.

"Should we get going?" Brandi asked. Tim nodded.

"Yeah, just gonna finish up something and we'll head out." He said. "Whose car do you wanna take?" He asked, not looking up from his computer as he typed.

"We can take mine." Brandi said as she stood. "I'm gonna go get some coffee for the road." Tim hummed in response and Brandi kept her eyes trained on the inmate being escorted. He was making a fuss about having to take a dump. He unnerved her. Something about him was just off. It was probably the chains and bright orange jumpsuit.

Brandi returned to her desk and pulled out her gun and badge, clipping them onto her belt. Tim was still staring at his screen and Brandi almost wanted to snort. She put a lid on her to go mug and reached for her tan coat when a commotion across the room caught her attention. She saw one of the guards get tossed to the ground and she reached for her gun. Tim was two steps ahead of her with his gun drawn and shooting away from his desk. Brandi watched as the prisoner put a weapon to the second guard's neck.

"Drop the weapon!" Tim ordered as everyone around the office was running around and pulling out their guns. She was behind Tim on his right with her own gun raised and aiming. "Let him go!" Tim ordered. She saw Raylan out of the corner of her eye leave Art's office. In an instant everyone had their guns raised and a few were shouting orders. Brandi kept still. She thought back to all the training she had done in the military and when training to be a marshall.

The prisoner kept closing the doors and threatening to cut the guard as people kept shouting orders. Brandi watched as Raylan and Art moved to an open door way, looking to see if they could get a good visual on the prisoner. Brandi was still as a statue, watching the doors.

"Alright, let's lower the weapons, and don't raise them again unless I say otherwise." Art ordered. Everyone slowly began putting their guns down or away. Brandi put the safety back on and lowered hers, she didn't want to put it away yet, and neither did her coworkers. "Let's clear this office, make sure there are no civilians. Rachel call Washington, tell them we need a SOC team down her." Art began ordering. "Brandi, call the jail and tell them to reschedule the prisoner transport for tomorrow." Brandi nodded and went to her desk. She had a list of numbers taped to her desk. She scanned the list and found the number she needed. She was on the phone and dialing. She took the time to pull her hair back into a ponytail. If she needed to shoot, she wanted to make sure her hair was out of her face.

Her heart was pumping fast in a familiar way. It was the adrenaline making it's way through her system. It was almost calming. She could think clearly and stay focused like this. She had a sense of duty and had a job to do.

She was on the phone with the prison and telling them what they needed to know. Just the bare minimum, that something came up and they were unable to do he transport today. The man on the phone wasn't happy but didn't argue too much. Art began talking to the prisoner and Brandi saw the lawyer walk back into the room. Wasn't he a civilian, too?

Brandi could hear the prisoner shouting at Art and she heard something being moved around. It was something heavy. Raylan disappeared into the room and Art came back out. Art took off his jacket and set it on Rachel's desk as he messed with his holster. He was talking to the lawyer, Vasquez, she heard.

Brandi was finally able to hang up after having heard the man on the other end chew her out and complain about having to deal with the prisoner they really wanted to get rid of. She walked back over to where she originally stood and kept an eye on the doors. She flinched when Tim tapped her arm, getting her attention. He ran into the conference room and she followed. Art wanted eyes in that room, see if they could get a visual. He had the blinds closed though.

Brandi stopped when she heard a door open and doubled back two steps. Though the glass she could see the guard's head being stuck out of the door. Art was in the doorway near her and they listened as Raylan and the prisoner talked back and forth. She scowled when he saw Raylan put his gun away. That was risky.

Brandi could hear Tim stepping away from the window in the conference room and Raylan looked over at them. She stayed where he was.

"How'd you get that shiv in there?" Raylan asked.

"Keistered it." The prisoner said proudly. Raylan repeated him with a small smile.

"Now I'm really glad I'm not the one with the shiv in my face." He said. Brandi sighed silently when the prisoner shut the door. Art came fully into the conference room then.

"We need eyes in there." Art said. "Tim, go get the equipment." Tim nodded and left. "Brandi, see if you can do something about the air vent, but don't take it off the wall completely." Brandi nodded and looked up. She wondered if she would be tall enough. Art started giving other orders but she tuned them out. She pulled over a chair and reached up to make sure she could touch the vent. Art handed her his knife and she slid it into the slot and started bending the metal things in the vent. Tim returned and handed her the cord. She started to feed it through.

"Little to the left." Tim said quietly. He was looking at a screen it was set up to and directing her. Once they had a good view he tapped the chair. "Ok, stop. That's good." He said quietly. They kept their voices low so they don't alert the prisoner of what was going on. Tim stuck out his hand. Brandi grabbed his outstretched hand and carefully stepped of the desk. She nodded in thanks and their attention focused on the screen.

They watched as the prisoner moved things around, emptied lockers. He started talking to Raylan again, asking if he'd had any experience with hostage situation. Raylan admitted he didn't.

"Hey, Brandi." Rachel said to her. Rachel waved her over. "Need a fresh pair of eyes. Trying to see if anything can help us." She explained. Brandi walked over and looked through the file. She looked at the health records first, see if he was dying or if he had a condition that kept him relying on medicine. There was nothing. What next?

"What kind of tattoos?" Brandi asked. Tattoos have meaning sometime. "Any pictures?" Rachel hummed and flipped through, looking for the pictures.

"Here are the pictures, the list should be in here somewhere." Rachel said as she slid over the pictures. They were just mug shots. Rachel slid over the list and kept pulling out the pictures of each tattoo. "Look at this." Rachel said and slid over a picture of the man's chest.

"Simone?" Brandi said. "She in the file? A wife or daughter or something?" Rachel looked through it and shook her head. She called over Raylan. "Tattooed on his chest, gotta be someone special." Brandi watched as Raylan left, thinking about what Rachel just told him.

Brandi listened as Raylan and the prisoner talked about Simone. The longer he talked the more Brandi hated the man. She held her breath when she saw him kicking the man that was on the floor. Her ribs ached with sympathy. She closed her eyes for a second and breathed in before sighing. She opened her eyes to see Tim was staring at her with the same face she had. It was blank. Both had neutral faces. Only Rachel was really showing any emotion and that was just a slight purse of the lips. Then they started talking about chicken.

Brandi looked at the clock on the wall. It was well past noon by now. She was almost hungry, but she was more concerned about the situation at hand. Art sharply called for Raylan. She saw Tim moving for Art's office and followed. She lingered in the door way, waiting for orders. Tim hovered near the second door.

"Local SWAT team is fifteen minutes out." Art said and handed something to Raylan.

"Lexington SWAT?" Raylan asked with a face that looked like he stepped in dog shit.

"Yeah, so you know how that's gonna play." Art said.

"Just like everywhere else I worked at. Not too big on talkin'." Raylan said. Art hummed and nodded.

"So you know once they get here they're gonna start shooting." Art said.

"I think there's still a chance this ends without anybody dying." Raylan argued. Art looked at him.

"You got fifteen minutes." Art said. Raylan looked at his watch.

"Is there any way we can get some fried chicken up in here?" He asked. Brandi frowned. Is he serious? Art seemed to share the same confusion.

"Fried chicken?" He asked, making sure he heard right.

"Spicy." Raylan specified. Brandi shifted her weight and scowled, confused. Tim looked over to her and smirked at her expression.

"You think spicy fried chicken's gonna bring him out?" Art asked.

"If what he's lookin' for is a way out that doesn't require him to admit he's scared to die…" Raylan explained. Art sighed. The lawyer, Vasquez, sitting on the couch spoke up.

"Hell why don't we give it a shot?" He suggested. Brandi blinked. They can't be serious. Art shook his head.

"Tim go get some." He ordered. Brandi looked at everyone exasperated. They started pooling in some cash. Vasquez and Art started handing Tim some cash. Tim took it and started out the door. Brandi saw him grab his keys and she ran after him. She caught up with him in the elevator. He frowned.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she hit the button that closed the doors.

"You grabbed your car keys, that means you planned on driving." She pointed out. "That'll take too much time. There's a chicken place two blocks down and around the corner. Dealing with cars are gonna take too much time."

"And you're gonna show me the way." Tim finished. She hummed. "How do you know this is quicker?" Tim asked as he leaned against the wall. Brandi smiled.

"I've done my fair share of chicken runs." She answered. Tim straightened up when the elevator dinged. "Hope you can run." Brandi said. The moment the doors opened, the two took off like a bat out of hell. Brandi ran as fast as she could, sprinting. Tim was able to keep up with her easily. Her blood pumped faster and faster as adrenaline coursed through her. THis is what she missed, this rush.

They took off down the two blocks and Tim followed her when she turned. He could see he sign for Zippy's and ran past her into the restaurant. He had his badge out in a flash and Brandi ran in after him.

"That's the last order for today." The man said as Tim ran in back.

"I'll take it." He said.

"Like hell you will!" The man said as he started towards Tim. Tim just brushed past him and grabbed the chicken and left the money.

"That should cover it." He said as he walked away. He also told the man to bill the Marshal's if there wasn't enough.

"What do I tell the customer?" He asked.

"Tell them the U.S. Marshal's Service thanks them for their patriotism." Brandi said and held to door open, following Tim out the door.

"Thanks." Tim said and nodded at her before the two took off down the street again. They were back there in a matter of minutes. Tim had tucked the food under his arm like a football and they sprinted back. They took the stairs two at a time.

"That chicken smells amazing right now." Brandi said as they climbed up. Tim smirked.

"I'm sure they won't notice if you take a piece." He joked. Brandi snorted. Tim showed his badge when they hit the floor they needed and Brandi followed him. She stopped following him right outside the bullpen. The room was filled with men in armor, holding weapons aimed at the room where the convict was. Tim kept walking, he had chicken to deliver. Brandi made her way around the men and into Art's office. Tim came into Art's office looking for something.

"Bourbon, where is it?" Tim asked. Art pulled it out of its hiding spot and handed it to Tim. Tim nodded and took it back into the conference room. It took a few minutes, but Raylan got the man to give himself up. The SWAT team filed in and took him down. It was quick and went off without issue. Once they hauled him away, Brandi left Art's office and went to her own desk. She almost put her gun back in its drawer but decided against it. She was more comfortable with it on her hip after the day's events.

"Hell of a first day." Tim said as he stopped next to her desk. She hummed and nodded and sat in her seat. She rested her arms on her desk and leaned forward and turned her head to look at Tim. "You hangin' in ok?" He asked, almost sounding bored. Brandi sighed through her nose and watched him for a second, thinking of what she wanted to say.

"Tim," she began. He looked at her with a smug smile, waiting for her to continue. "I know you are just asking that because you were told that I am your responsibility. And you know, that it's going to take more than that to get me all frazzled." Tim did one of those silent, single chuckles. "So why are you really asking me that?" Tim kept his smirk on his face and looked at her. She was gonna fit right in.

"I got a lot of paper work goin' on right now and seeing as you were practically my shadow today-" He began Brandi quirked an eyebrow and stuck her hand out.

"Gimme." She said with a sigh. Tim smiled and put it in her hand.

"You're gonna get along here just fine." Tim said with a smile.

"Well, I'm just assuming that one day down the line, I'm gonna be up to my ass in paperwork and you're gonna be a knight in shining armor and gonna offer to do some for me." Brandi said as she leaned back and turned her chair to face him, small smile on her face. Tim snorted as he began doing more paper work. "And I don't really have anything better to do." She admitted and turned to deal with her new task. Tim chuckled again.

"Don't worry, that don't last long here." He said. Brandi hummed. "Well, at least tomorrow will be a slow day." He added.

"What, with the transport?" Brandi asked. Tim nodded.

"Yup, usually they go pretty smooth." Tim told her. Brandi hummed. She wasn't too concerned if it goes alright or not. She came here to do a job, and she would do that job.

Brandi had settled in quickly and was doing well. Brandi found she liked Rachel. Rachel was a strong woman who didn't take shit from anyone. Raylan wasn't a bad guy but he seemed to completely disregard any rules or guidelines set up. He was a wild card. Wild cards always spelled bad news, so Brandi made sure to keep her distance. But other than that, she didn't mind him. Art was Art. He hadn't changed much from when she last saw him. A few days after the whole hostage situation, her and Art caught up and had a few drinks.

He was proud of her, proud of what she had accomplished. And he told her. Hearing those words from him meant the world to her, but she also felt bad about keeping him in the dark. But she just couldn't bring herself to tell him. She doubted he'd be proud of her if he knew what happened. When her father died, and things got bad at home, she had come across his path several times. He was the one who had seen her potential. He was the one who kept her in school for as long as she was. Art kept her out of trouble as much as he could. She had seen him as a father figure when she had none. Art got her out of Kentucky and for that she would be forever grateful. Which is why she was so torn about keeping him in the dark. SHe felt as if she owed him an explanation for returning after he had worked so hard to get her out of there.

She got along with Tim, but she wasn't too sure where she stood with him. Sure, he was nice, sarcastic, too. But he was also really good at answering a question without actually answering it. Although, Brandi didn't really ask him much. She quickly found her coworkers to become friends, even went so far as to go out for drinks one night after a particularly long day, but she wasn't too sure if they were actually friends.

Tim wasn't too sure where he stood with Brandi, either. They got along fine, had similar humor and she kept to herself. She had no personal items on her desk and never mentioned family. Never mentioned anything personal either. Tim could only recall one time she mentioned working as a marine. And that came up after she took down a man twice her size without a gun. IT was impressive to see someone so small take down a fully grown man and Tim had asked her about it later, asked if she learned that in the military. She had nodded and seemed to freeze up.

Their encounters with each other were professional and vague, so it was difficult for the both of them to see where they stood with each other. But neither seemed to mind. They were comfortable where they were. But there was curiosity.

Brandi didn't mention anything personal for a while. It wasn't until she hit her third week there. She had been bouncing in her seat all day, like she couldn't wait for the day to end. It was different than her usual stance on work.

"What's got you so riled up?" Rachel had asked towards the end of the day. She perched herself on Brandi's desk and handed her the woman's fourth cup of coffee in the hour.

"Don't give her anymore," Raylan teased. "She'll blast off like the Tazmanian Devil." He said without looking up from his computer. Brandi ignored him, not letting him ruin her rare good mood. She smile done of her small smiles at Rachel.

"I'm meeting up with an old friend for dinner." Brandi said and Rachel was listening.

"That's what's got you wound up?" She asked, teasing. Brandi shook her head.

"I'm also meeting my God-daughter." Brandi said. Rachel smiled at her new coworker. "My friend had a baby about a year ago and I'm going to go see her for the first time."

"Someone made you a god mother?" Tim asked. "Should we call social services?" Brandi just sighed and threw him an annoyed look.

"Oh let the girl be excited." Rachel said with a small smile. Then she turned to Brandi with a semi serious face. "You better come back with pictures." The threatened. Brandi smiled and swore she would. When it was time to go home, Brandi was out the door the moment she was free. She met her friend at a little diner and her smile was brighter than it had been in months. She hugged her friend tightly.

"Maura, it's been so long." She said as she hugged her friend tightly.

"Well, I'm not the one who ran off and joined the military." Maura teased and stepped back. She grabbed brandi's arms and looked her over. "Look at you, a Marshal. I would have thought for sure you'd be in jail."

"And yet I'm still the God mother of your child." Brandi said and sat down at the table. She smiled at the baby in its little seat. "She's beautiful." Brandi said. Maura smiled.

"Wanna hold her?" Maura offered and lifted her daughter. Brandi smiled and took her. The two women talked and Brandi bounced the child on her leg. She was never motherly but she loved this child like it was her own. She almost didn't want to give her back.

The two ate and talked and just relaxed. Brandi caught Maura up on her excursions except for the past few months. Maura had just been working and she settled down with a man about two years ago. Married a cars salesman. Maura herself was a hair stylist. They were half way through desert when something came out of Maura's mouth that made Brandi freeze.

"So who's Mark Andrews?" Maura asked as she took a bite of ice cream. Brandi damn near stopped breathing.

"I'm sorry?" Brandi asked, wanting to make sure she heard right. "Mark Andrews?" Maura frowned and nodded.

"Yeah. He stopped by the house a few days ago. Thought you might be there." Maura said. Brandi nodded. "So, who is he?"

"An ex." Brandi said and pursed her lips. She had to stop and think for a minute. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Maura, if he comes back to the house, you call the police. Do you understand?" She asked. Maura was a little alarmed at the serious tone of Brandi's voice. Maura nodded. "Maura, I'm not kidding. He is dangerous. He's the reason I left Virginia. You see him, you call the cops."

"I get it, Brandi." Maura said still looking concerned. Brandi nodded and stood, pulling out her wallet. She removed enough money to cover the dinner and the tip.

"Maura, I have to run." Brandi said and Maura stood, a bit miffed that she was running off like this. Brandi hugged her again. "It was so good to see you. We should meet up again soon." She said as she began walking away. Maura just stood there, confused as to what just happened.

But Brandi didn't have time to deal with that. She had a bigger issue at hand. Especially if he found her.


	2. Chapter 2

Panic seized Brandi before she even got in her truck. She was back in her house and running around like a chicken with their head cut off. She was yanking open drawers and throwing her clothes into the trunks. She had run to the bathroom and grabbed her toiletries and tossed them back in the trunk.

Brandi froze when there was a knock at the door. The panic in her heart increased and she found it hard to breathe. The next knock had her pulling her gun out of its holster. She made her way down the steps and carefuly approached the door. Her hand hesitated on the door knob before she yanked it open.

Brandi let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and rested her head against the door. It's just Art. She put the gun back in its holster and Art noticed. "Expecting someone else?" He asked.

"What do you want, Art?" Brandi asked. She didn't mean for it to sound so harsh. She inhaled and tried to calm herself. "Sorry, Art."

"Take it dinner didn't go too well with your friend?" Art asked. Brandi paused and thought about what she should say.

"It went fine." She answered and leaned against the door frame, pulling the door with her. "What's up?" brandi asked, trying to sound more relaxed. Art could see it in her eyes that something was wrong. Or maybe it was the gun she had on her giving it away.

"You sleepin' ok?" He asked. Brandi frowned, not getting what he was asking. "No one at the office givin' you a rough time?" he asked and Brandi rolled her eyes.

"Art." She sighed. "Art, I'm fine. I swear. Why are you here?" Art stared her down, with confusion on his own face.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you, but maybe if you would answer your phone when I call you, we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation." Art said and put his hand on his hips. Brandi frowned and pulled out her phone. She had three missed calls and four text messages.

"Oh." Brandi said. "Sorry, I didn't hear my phone." She said and shrugged, putting her phone back in her pocket. Art hummed in an _I told you so_ tone.

"Anyway, I wanted to remind you that Raylan starts his suspension tomorrow and I need you to come in and cover walk ins." Art told her. Brandi blinked.

"Seriously?" She asked, disbelief clear in her voice. "You came all the way out here to tell me that?" She asked with a small smile on her face. Art chuckled quietly.

"I got a little worried when you didn't answer." He admitted. "You know you didn't exactly leave Kentucky on good terms with a lot of people." Brandi smiled and looked at her feet. Art was always trying to look after her.

"Thank you, Art." She said, looking at him. "but I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl now." She joked.

"Old habits die hard." He told her. "Speaking of old habits, you look like you could use a drink. Grab your shit, let's go."

"Isn't that unprofessional?" She asked with a smirk. Art just looked at her.

"Just come on." He told her, smiling at her antics.

The first drink didn't help. Neither did the second. Or the third. The fourth started to and the bottle of Jack Daniels in her motel room helped her to sleep a bit. But it didn't stop the nightmares. She was up around four thirty after the nightmare made her bolt upright. She sat for a while just breathing. She could still hear the blast from the IED. It was the blast that startled her awake.

 _These nightmares are getting out of hand._ Brandi thought. She couldn't remember the last time she got a full night of sleep. With a sigh she got herself up and ready for work. She was in early as usual and filling out paper work. The day was pretty slow. They only had a few walk ins, but she was tired.

"Mornin' sunshine." Tim said as he walked over to his desk. He looked at her. She had bags under her eyes and her curly brown hair was a mess. She hadn't bothered to tie it up. He leaned against his desk. "You look like shit." He drawled. She just hummed. "Have too much to drink last night with your friend?" He asked. Brandi pinned him with a glare as he took a sip of coffee. "Tellin' ya, social services need to be called."

"Do you ever work?" Brandi asked. "Or do you just sit around and shoot the shit." Tim shrugged.

"I work." He defended.

"What are you doing right now?" Brandi asked. Tim just looked at her with an exasperated stare. "See what I mean?"

"Well, it won't last long. I think Art's gonna send us out today." Tim said as he turned to his desk.

"Oh yeah?" Brandi said. "Why's that?"

"Because Raylan isn't here to do it." Tim said as he started to do his paperwork. Brandi started writing up reports for the walk ins.

"Speaking of, how much trouble you think he's getting into right now?" Brandi asked. Tim snorted.

"I hope he's not even awake yet." Tim said as he checked his email.

"I just hope he does what he's told." Brandi said. Tim hummed.

"I wouldn't hold your breath." Tim said and Brandi groaned. Poor Art had enough to deal with. "I know." He said sympathetically, referring to her groan. "It's like dealing with an eight grader." Turns out, Art didn't send them out. They were stuck in the office all day, finishing up reports, answering phones and things like that. It was an easy, slow day. Brandi wished there was something else to keep her mind off the little information Maura had given her.

Brandi kept checking her phone. She kept bouncing her leg and was just agitated all day. Everytime a door opened or shut, she would either jump slightly or turn and look to see who it was. She had this overwhelming feeling of dread. Brandi felt as if something bad was going to happen but she wasn't sure what and it had her on edge.

"You drink too much coffee or something?" Tim asked towards the end of the day. Someone had just slammed their desk drawer too loudly and startled her.

"Hm?" She asked, looking at Tim as she ran a hand through her hair for the hundredth time.

"You keep jumping every time some one walks through the door." Tim told her and leaned back in his chair. Brandi sighed through her nose. She needed to get a grip.

"I just need some sleep." She said and turned back to her computer.

"Don't we all." Tim mumbled in agreement.

Brandi didn't sleep at all that week. But that Friday night, went and bought herself some Nyquil and took four pills. It helped her fall asleep, but she still woke up from the nightmares.

"Nightmares?" Tim asked the Tuesday after. They were sitting in his truck, watching a house where a fugitive was supposed to be hiding out. Brandi frowned and looked at him.

"What?" She asked oh so eloquently. Tim rolled his head and looked at her knowingly.

"You haven't been sleeping." He pointed out. "Nightmares?" He asked again. Brandi blinked and frowned, turning back to the house.

"Is it any of your business?" She asked. She could feel him burning holes in her head and snapped her head back to look at him. He was still giving her that look. "What?" She snapped.

"It's my business if someone who is supposed to have my back if this goes south isn't at their one hundred percent." He pointed out and Brandi sighed, exasperated and slouched in her seat. He still stared at her, waiting. She shifted a few times, watching the house and trying to get rid of the feeling of him staring at her.

"Damnit! All right! I'm having nightmares, Jesus Christ!" She shouted, sitting up suddenly. Tim just grinned and finally looked away from her and looked at the house. "Just stop freakin' staring."

"There, was that so hard?" He asked teasingly.

"It was painful." She said with a small smirk. She tried not to smile. "You sure you're not askin' because Art told you to?" She asked, not really caring. Brandi kept her eyes on the still and quiet house. Tim smirked and bobbed his head as he sipped some lukewarm coffee.

"So negative." He said sarcastically. The truck went quiet for a few minutes before Tim spoke up again. "Are they from the tour?" He asked. Brandi just hummed. Tim sighed through his nose and Brandi could feel her smirk coming back.

"What is this?" She asked him. He frowned and looked at her before looking back at the house. "Are you asking for Art, or are you just trying to make conversation?"

"Something tells me you're not gonna believe me when I say just conversation making." He drawled. Watching the house was boring, they had been at it for a few hours. Brandi just hummed and Tim glanced at her. IT was hard to get a read on her on a normal day, but when she had her aviators on, it was more difficult.

"And something tells me you aren't usually so nosy." She countered and Tim could see a ghost of a smile. "You can tell Art I'm fine. I just need to get used to bein' back in Kentucky." She told him. Seeing he was getting no where with her, he stopped trying to pry. It wasn't his business. And he knew how it was. Coming home with PTSD after having to have it all together for so long. It's hard to seek out help or even admit something is wrong. If she needed to say something, she would tell him.

Tim noticed that out of all the people in the office, she worked best with him. They had a similar outlook and similar humor. HE could understand her unwillingness to speak. But every now and then, in her honest smile, he could see a wildness in her. Brandi kept herself in check at all times. She was calm and collected, analyzing everything and thinking things through. But he could tell it was a learned practice. Tim could see her playful, teasing side buried deep under her professional façade.

They sat in silence for a long while. It was never tense between them, both appreciating the quiet every now and then. Nothing moved in the house and Brandi began to wonder why they were even sitting here. After a while, she voiced her concern.

"Why are we here again?" She asked, shifting in her seat. Tim smirked.

"Well, we received a tip that a possible fugitive is squatting in this house. We are here to see if there is any truth to that." Tim explained in his southern drawl. "Basically, we have to sit here until we get probable cause or the warrant gets approved." Brandi groaned.

"I'm gonna die in this goddamn truck." She grunted and rubbed her forehead.

"Don't diss my truck." Tim said with a smirk, feigning offence.

"Shove it up your ass." Brandi mumbled. Tim chuckled quietly.

"Now darlin' don't threaten me with a good time." He shot back, earning a snort from Brandi before the two lapsed back into silence. Brandi rested her elbow next to the window and rested her head on her hand. Tim heard her sigh through her nose and maybe three minutes passed before she spoke again.

"How did you do it?" She asked. Tim frowned and looked at her.

"What, shove a truck up my ass? Lot's of patience." He answered with a smirk. Brandi snorted and swatted at his shoulder, shoving him slightly. But he could see the smile on her face.

"The nightmares." She told him and looked at him briefly before looking back at the house. "How did you handle the nightmares?" She asked. "They're starting to drive me up a wall." Brandi admitted. Tim thought on it for a few seconds.

"Lots of booze." He admitted. "Sweet heart I am not the one you want to be askin' advice from."

"I'm not asking for advice. I'm asking for what worked for you. I wanna know what options I got." Brandi told him. Tim sighed silently to himself and thought.

"It gets better." He said almost sarcastically. "Sometimes they go away, sometimes they don't. But it gets manageable." He could see her shoulders start to drop. They sat in silence again for a few beats before he had to ask. "What are they about?"

"An IED." She answered without looking at him and without hesitating. "Wakes me up every night. It was so obvious, too. I should have seen it." She admitted. Tim frowned. "It was an abandoned vehicle on the side of a road. Flipped our vehicle. It was a mess."

"Well, there's nothing you can do about it now." Tim told her. She hummed in agreement. Tim was honestly surprised she was being so open at the moment but didn't question it. HE was about to ask more about the situation but, Brandi's hand reached out to his shoulder to get his attention. He saw it at the same time she did. They both watched as a curtain in a supposedly abandoned building swayed. It was slowly drawn back a few inches. They couldn't see anyone, they were too far away. The curtain fell back.

"I didn't see him. Did you?" Brandi asked her partner. Tim shook his head, a concentration frown on his face. "I take it that don't count as probable cause." She stated.

"No." Tim told her, thinking. "We don't need it to knock on the door though. If we spook him, we can get him to try and run and get him when he steps outside."

"Why didn't we just go knock on his door hours ago?" Brandi asked as she unbuckled. Tim followed suit with a smirk.

"We didn't know if he was home." He told her as they climbed out. They walked down the street, hands resting near their guns, and headed towards the house. There was a tall wooden fence that stretched around the property. Even if he did slip out back, he would have to come around to the front. As they began walking up the path to the front door, Brandi turned to Tim.

"Do you want to take the lead on this one? It's your case." She offered. Tim, with his smirk still in place waved her forward.

"After you, ma'am." He told her. She walked ahead of him and climbed up the steps.

"Such a gentleman." She said with a small grin. Tim hung back in case the suspect wanted to make a run for it. Brandi opened the screen door and knocked firmly.

"United States Federal Marshals Service. Open up." She ordered firmly. The two were met with silence and Brandi let the screen door close quietly. She spoke again, telling him to open up and that they know he's in there. Brandi stood on the porch, listening to the house creak. She could hear him moving around.

A sudden metallic crash caught their attention and both had their guns out in seconds. But when they turned to see what it was, they just saw a cat walking away from a knocked over trash can.

"Stupid cat." She mumbled. Tim began walking towards it to make sure that was all it was and Brandi heard the floors in front of her creak. She turned to see the front door open and froze. Behind the screen door, Brandi was staring down the barrel of a shotgun. Brandi froze. In a second her heart dropped to her stomach. In the next second, Her lungs refused to take in any air. She couldn't breathe. In the third second, he pulled the trigger and the boom of the shot echoed in her ears as the blast nocked her backwards off the porch. The force of the shot turned her body so she was falling face first to the ground. The world seemed to slow down.

Brandi saw sand beneath her as she fell. Hard dirt and sand. She stretched out her arms to catch her fall and saw she was back in uniform with blood trailing down her arm. She watched as her gun fell to the ground and her helmet followed suit. Off in the distance she could hear gunfire. The ground shook as the bombs in the next city fell.

Brandi came crashing back to reality as she hit the pavement in Kentucky. She felt her head smack onto the cement, soon followed by the rest of her body. The wind was knocked out of her. A burn flashed across her chest and sharp pains ran through her ribs. She grunted and lay still as gunfire still rang in her ears. Brandi couldn't tell if it was real or not.

Slowly her sense starting kicking in and the pain increased suddenly and had her gasping. Someone grabbed her shoulder and she grunted in pain as they rolled her over. She yelled out when she landed on her back. Her hands rested on her stomach and she tried to breathe in. Brandi could only breathe in slightly, giving her just enough air to stay alive. There was a hand on Brandi's face and her eyes fell on Tim.

"Brandi." He spoke firmly. "Brandi are you with me?" He asked. She blinked and he gave her shoulder a small nudge. She yelled out in pain when her ribs throbbed.

"Shit!" She breathed and lifted her head a bit to look at her chest. "Ah, son of a bitch that hurts." She shouted. Brandi panted and saw that Tim cracked a relieved smile. Brandi lifted her head again to see her chest but Tim held her head down.

"Don't move. You smacked your face pretty hard." HE instructed. "I called it in. There's a bus on the way." Then his hands moved to her white shirt, unbuttoning the shirt. "Let's see how bad this is."

"You just want to see my breasts." She wheezed out, teasing. Brandi was just glad she was wearing her tank top.

"You caught me." He said as he moved the white shirt away from her skin slowly, peeling the blood stained fabric away carefully. Brandi watched as his face didn't change, giving her no indication of how bad it was.

"He shot me." She mumbled and Tim looked away from the porch and looked at her frowning. "He shot me almost point blank. How am I alive?" Brandi wheezed. It was getting harder to breathe and she gasped in a pained breath before shifting and groaning in pain. "Ah, shit." She hissed.

"Stay still." Tim told her with a smirk. He spoke calmly in a way that reminded her of how you talk to dying soldiers and it made her worry.

"I'm dying aren't I?" Brandi asked and Tim chuckled, shaking his head.

"Nah, he just shot you with rocksalt." Tim told her. Brandi frowned and blinked. Was he joking? "Nothing looks too deep, but you're definitely bleeding."

"Then why can't I sit up?" She asked and began to shift. Her ribs were begging her not to move, but she grunted and started to sit up anyway. Tim helped her.

"Well, you're not supposed to move if you just smacked your head." Tim told her. "But I take it you don't care about that." He drawled. Brandi nodded and sighed. She looked down and saw her shirt shredded and bloodied. She was wearing a white button up with a grey tank underneath. From her neck to the top of her breasts, the skin was torn and irritated with chunks of salt wedged in it. Brandi grimaced.

"Damn, this hurts." She hissed. "Haven't been here a month and I get shot at. I was even nice and knocked." Brandi mumbled and began taking out pieces of the salt. "How bad did we screw up?" She asked and Tim grinned as he sat on the ground.

"Probably a lot. But I don't think Art's gonna be too pissed. He'll be too worried yelling at you for not wearing your vest." Tim told her with a small smile.

"You aren't wearing yours." Brandi countered, still trying to dig out the salt.

"I didn't get shot." He told her and shifted.

Rachel and Raylan had heard about what happened and had rushed to get to the hospital, worried about their new coworker. They met Tim in the waiting room. He was sitting down, one leg rested on the other. He was lazily flipping through a magazine and Raylan and Rachel stopped short at how calm he was.

"Is she ok?" Rachel asked. Tim looked up and shrugged.

"Yeah, they're giving her a CAT scan or something now." He said and dropped the magazine back on the table.

"CAT scan?" Raylan asked. "I thought she was shot."

"She was. But they shot her with rock salt. Usually, that won't do much damage, but he was about a foot away. She smacked her head on the pavement pretty hard, they think she broke her ribs too." Tim explained and stood, putting his hands in his pockets. "It was a fight to get her in the ambulance, so I'm not too worried." He said with a smirk, lowering his voice. Rachel sighed through her nose, relaxing. The three turned and watched as a nurse wheeled Brandi through the large doors and into the waiting room. Brandi was scowling and glared at Tim as she was rolled past them.

"Traitor." She mumbled at him as the nurse wheeled her away and back to her room.

"What'd you do?" Rachel asked as she watched Brandi get rolled away. Tim smirked and crossed his arms as Art walked into the waiting are to join them.

"I told them about her head when they got her strapped down on the gurney. She couldn't leave at that point." Tim told them. He could see Raylan grinning and Rachel just looked at Tim exasperated at both him and Brandi.

"How she doin'?" Art asked Tim. He shrugged.

"No one's told me anything yet." Tim told him. "They just gave her a CAT scan though. I think they already x-rayed her."

"They should let us see her soon if it wasn't too bad." Art told them. "Brought her some paperwork. They're going to try and have her stay the night, make sure her head's ok."

"I think that's a good idea if they can get her to stay." Rachel said. "I don't think she will want to stay, though." Art smiled at her.

"I might be able to convince her, but she never did a good job at listening though." Art said s a nurse came into the roof with a file. They all turned to her, waiting for permission to go see her.

"I'm looking for Art Mullen." She announced, looking at the four of them. Art raised his hand.

"That would be me." He announced. "What can I do for you?"

"You were listed as her emergency contact." She informed him. "I need to have a word with you." She said. Art frowned and looked at Tim, Rachel, and Raylan. Then he nodded and followed the nurse to the hall where they would have some privacy. Once there Art looked at the nurse with concern.

"Is everything alright?" He asked. The nurse pursed her lips and sighed.

"Ms. Calhoun will be fine. I just wanted to ask a few questions." She said. Art nodded.

"What kind of questions?" Art asked, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Questions like is she living with someone? Has she just ended a relationship? Has she been in an accident or anything?" The nurse asked. Art looked at her, confused.

"She lives alone now. I don't think she's been in an accident. Why?" He asked, not sure what she was getting at. The nurse sighed and pulled out the x-rays.

"Normally, it takes more than a fall to break or fracture ribs. The force of the shot gun did help, but the fractures and breaks should not have been this severe." The nurse told him and pulled Art into a spare examination room. He followed and she turned on the lights on the wall. She clipped up the x-rays and pointed out the major fractures. "These are fractures from today, but if you look closer, you can see some older ones." She began to point to small, barely noticeable fractures. "These are consistent with long term abuse."

"She had an abusive mother growing up." Art disclosed. "Could they be from that?" He asked. She hummed.

"It's possible for the older ones. But the these are only a few months old." The nurse told him. "In addition to this, her shoulder has been repeatedly dislocated."

"She is ex-military." Art told her. "She might have gotten a few injuries during her service. I know she got tossed around a lot, but I don't know anything specific." He was looking at the x-rays and frowning. She would have told him, right?

"I also had to take a few pictures." She pulled out the pictures. One was a bite mark on her upper arm. On her upper shoulder, on her back, it looked like she was hit with something made of glass. Art scowled. What on earth. The scars were fairly new. "I took these to add to the file incase she eventually wants to press charges."

"I wouldn't even know who this could be. I'm just her boss and an old friend." Art told her. "Have you spoken to her about this?"

"No." She said shaking her head. "She knows I took the picture, but I didn't bring it up. I get the feeling she wouldn't speak to use anyway."

"You would be right about that." Art said with a small smile. "Thank you for letting me know this." The nurse nodded.

"I just needed to know if there was a possibility she would be going home to a dangerous situation. She's lucky nothing stabbed her lungs." The nurse explained. "Also, if she lives alone, I think she needs to stay the night. She has a pretty nasty concussion. She needs to stay awake for twenty four hours. After that it's just rest for her." The nurse instructed and Art listened and nodded.

"How long do I need to keep her out of the office?" Art asked. The nurse thought for a while.

"For the concussion, give her at least a week or until the symptoms are gone. For the ribs, she needs to rest again. Ice and Tylenol will help. No advil, it could make her head more likely to bleed." The nurse began explaining. "They won't heal completely for six weeks. She could probably be good in a week or two for desk work, it depends on how bad she wants to get back." Art nodded and smiled.

"Thank you." He said. The nurse took the x-rays and began walking out of the room. Art followed her back out into the hall. "Will we be able to see her?"

"If she hasn't already left." The nurse sighed. "For someone with broken ribs, she sure does move a lot." Art chuckled and followed her back to the group. The three looked to the nurse and to Art. "You four can go in. But don't make excite her too much." She instructed and lead them to her room.

"That means you, Tim." Art pointed out. "Don't piss her off."

"I'd never." Tim said with his grin. "Raylan's the one having her rip her hair out." He accused. Raylan tried to frown but was grinning like a cat.

"What are you talking about. She loves me." Raylan declared.

"She want to shoot both of you on a regular basis." Rachel told them, a small smile on her face. "I doubt that's love." She said as they came up to her room. When they walked in, Brandi had her legs hanging over the bed and she seemed to be arguing with a nurse.

"Ma'am, please get back in bed." The nurse said, exasperated.

"No, I'm fine. I don't need to be here." Brandi argued. "I can go."

"And how exactly are you going to leave?" The nurse challenged, putting her hands on her hips and string Brandi down. Brandi faltered and her eyes glanced over to her coworkers and her eyes brightened.

"Look, here's my ride now." She said and slid off the bed. The nurse gently held her shoulder.

"Brandi, get back in that bed." Art told her, sounding like an exasperated dad. Brandi glared but climbed back onto the bed with a huff. "Good. We need to talk." Raylan snorted, knowing that tone and very happy he wasn't on the receiving end for once.

"I know that tone." Tim said, putting his hands on his hips. Brandi glared at him.

"What do you want to talk about, Art?" She sighed, worried she would call her out in front of the other three. She really didn't want to talk about this.

"You've got to be monitored for twenty four hours." He began. "That means you need to stay here. Overnight."

"Art-" Brandi began but Art cut her off.

"Brandi, this isn't up for debate." Art told her. "You cot a concussion, you need to be watched and you don't live with anyone."

"Art, I don't need-"

"Unless you want to come stay with me and Leslie for the night. You need to stay here." Art told her.

"Art, shut up!" She shouted suddenly, starling a few people. "Stop talking to me like a child!" She scrunched her eyes closed and her hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose. She just felt like someone took a bat to her head. "Shit." She mumbled.

"See, you need to stay here." Art told her. She groaned and glared at him.

"Damn it, Art, I'm not staying here." She insisted and leaned forward putting her head in her hands. Her head really hurt. The nurse left her side and went to get her some medicine and water. "Ow." She mumbled before speaking up again. "If you want me to rest, I can't stay here." She told him. The nurse returned and gave Brandi the water and medicine. She took it without a fuss. Tim leaned against the door frame and sighed through his nose.

"She can stay at my place." He offered. Everyone turned to him then, confusion clear on their faces. " I got a couch. I don't sleep much anyway. I'll watch her." Art looked at him and shrugged.

"Alright. That could work." He said and turned to Brandi. "You good with that?" He asked her. She rubbed her forehead and nodded, but grimaced. It felt like glass rattling around with nails.

"Sure, fine." She mumbled. "Just get me outta here."

"Home sweet home." Tim told her as he pulled up to the house. Brandi let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank god." She mumbled and Tim climbed out of the truck. She unbuckled slowly. The ride there was bumpy and made her ribs ache even more. She sighed through her nose as Tim opened her door and she looked at the house. "Wow. This was not what I was expecting." She admitted. It was a decent sized house. Not too big, but not too small. Tim grinned.

"What, you think I lived in a hut?" He asked as he grabbed her bag. She shook her head.

"I was thinking more of a trailer." She teased and turned, swinging her legs over the edge. Tim stuck out his hand and she took it. He slung her bag over his shoulder and helped her climb out of the truck. Brandi grimaced and hissed as her feet hit the ground.

"Sorry, bout that." Tim mumbled as she hunched over a bit, catching her breath. She shook her head.

"It's fine." Brandi told him. She straightened up as much as she could and closed the truck door. "What time is it?" She asked, noticing how dark it was now. Tim shrugged and flipped his keys around as they walked up to his front door.

"Around seven, probably." He said and stuck his key in the door. "Take out ok?" He asked.

"Sure." Brandi said and followed him inside. "While you handle that, I'm taking up residency on your couch."

"Sounds good." Tim mumbled and flipped on the lights. "I'll grab you some ice for your ribs." He told her. Tim dropped her bag on the floor next to the couch and walked towards the kitchen. Brandi slowly lowered herself onto the couch, trying not to cause any more pain but failing. She was leaning against the back of the couch, her head rolled back. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply, careful not to breathe too deeply. She scowled when something cold was placed gently against her face. It rested on her cheek and she frowned in confusion before opening her eyes.

Above her, she saw Tim watching her, his eyes furrowed as usual. But this time they had more to them. Tim was a hard book to read, but if anyone could read even the slightest, miniscule amount of emotion in him, and understand it, it was Brandi. His eyes were furrowed, and deep in there, she could see the slight concern in his eyes. It was faint, but she could see it. Brandi smiled softly up at him.

"I'm still alive." She told him. His face relaxed so slightly before he let his smirk slide in. He lited the large bag of ice and placed it on her face. Brandi frowned and grabbed the ice, lifting her head up.

"Good. Don't need to explain to Art how you died in my house." Tim said as he pulled out his phone and sat down. He had his phone in one hand and a beer in the other. She took the bag of ice and rested it on her ribs, but it was difficult just holding it there. She looked at Tim who was on the phone ordering Chinese food. Brandi began to shift and lay down. She laid down on her back and used the pillow to help keep her supported at least a little bit. Then she remembered she had legs. There was nowhere else to put them, so she rested them on Tim's legs. He just looked at her and quirked an eyebrow before going back to ordering food. At least she had the curtesy to take off her shoes first.

Tim didn't mind. He was just surprised she was comfortable enough with him to plop her feet on his lap as he leaned back against the couch. He propped his own feet on his coffee table and flipped on the TV.

"Food should be here soon." He told her. She closed her eyes and hummed. She was a bit worn out from the day and just wanted some sleep. Brandi scowled when Tim shook her leg.

"No sleeping. You gotta stay up." He told her. She opened her eyes and glared at him.

"That's such a stupid thing." Brandi said. "If I fall asleep I'm gonna wake up. I didn't hit my head that hard."

"Doctor seems to think you did." Tim told her, not looking away from the TV as he sipped his beer. Brandi sighed and crossed her arms across her chest, wincing as she did so. Her arms were just under the ice. The position was uncomfortable so she didn't stay that way long. The ice was making her cold and she wished she was wearing more than another tanktop. This one was a forest green. Her jeans were an old pair of faded flare jeans. They were frayed at the bottom and she had a few rips and tears, but they were her favorite. They were the most comfortable pair she had, and they looked good on her.

Tim would agree with her. He couldn't stop checking out her ass until they got back into his truck. Well, he could, but he didn't want to. The jeans clung to her hips in a very flattering way that effectively showed off her curves. But there was something else that caught his attention. On her arm, there was a scar that looked like someone tried to bite her. It was on her upper arm, close to the shoulder. He also noticed, on the same shoulder, on her back, there was some scarring. But he didn't ask about them.

Tim also noticed she had a few tattoos. One peeked out from under her shirt on her back, and he was able to see the tattoo that was inside her upper arm. It was a beautiful rose, with the leaves and thorny stem making a sort of nest around the rose. It was very detailed and well colored. He couldn't tell what the tattoo on her back was though. On her first day, he did notice a small tattoo on her wrist. It was some sort of triangle. He'd been meaning to ask her, but never got around to it.

"What's on your wrist?" HE asked, turning his attention from the TV to her. She blinked and looked at him, not expecting a questions.

"It's a Penrose triangle." Brandi told him. "It's an impossible figure." She explained and held out her wrist for him to see. When he looked at it, he could see what she meant by impossible. Time must have passed quickly because soon after that, there was a knock on the door. Tim just looked at the door before looking at Brandi and her strange reaction. She inhaled sharply and tried to sit up and look a the door, but grunted when her ribs screamed in pain. She hissed as she laid back down. Tim smiled slightly and gently moved her feet.

"Don't move." He told her and got up, pulling out his wallet. She just glared at the spot where he was sitting. The door had startled her and now her ribs started to ache even more. They had just started to ease up. Brandi inhaled a deep breath, careful not to hurt her ribs. Brandi heard Tim shut the door and she watched as he walked into the kitchen. He came back with two plates of food. He handed Brandi her plate before sitting down again. Brandi didn't put her feet back on his lap. Instead, she bent her legs and made enough room for him to sit. She grimaced, the position was uncomfortable. Tim seemed to notice and scooted closer to the edge and moved her legs to sit behind him. She nodded in thanks.

It was a bit hard to eat laying down, but she made it work. Slowly, as time slipped by, she found herself relaxing into his couch. She let her head roll to the side, facing the TV and she sighed silently. Brandi had set her plate on the table and kept the ice on her ribs until it had turned into water. Tim, the gracious host he was, took the dishes and ice into the kitchen and returned. This time, he leaned back and moved her legs across his lap. Brandi found his hand resting on her shin to be a comfortable feeling. Lately, over the past few years, she had found herself being more uncomfortable with people touching her, but she found it easy to trust Tim. So her feet on his lap, in his house, banged up with a concussion, didn't bother her. Brandi found herself able to relax and was surprised at how tired she felt. Brandi let her eyes drop. She was about to fall asleep when Tim gently shook her leg, waking her back up.

"No." He told her. "If I gotta stay up, so do you."

Hope you like, review!


	3. Chapter 3

Bradni shot up shouting, shaken by her nightmare. She yelled out in pain after that and fell on her side, curling in on herself as the phone on her nightstand rang. She groaned in pain and caught her breath. The phone stopped ringing for a few seconds before the person called again. Brandi grunted and slowly sat up before reaching for her phone. It was Maura. She answered the call.

"Maura?" She croaked out.

" _Hey hun, we still good for tonight?"_ Maura asked. Brandi swore. She had forgotten. They had been meeting up for dinner every other week. " _What's wrong? Did you forget?"_ Maura asked, concerned. It wasn't like Brandi to forget meeting with them.

"Um, yeah. I kinda forgot, Maura. Sorry." Brandi started. "Uh, something happened at work, and I –"

"Holy shit. What happened? Are you ok?" Maura began. Brandi couldn't get a word in. "I'm taking off work. Are you at your motel room?"

"Yes," Brandi sighed. "but maura, I'm fi-"

"Brandi, shut up." Maura told her. "I'm grabbing Grace and we're coming over." Brandi sighed and smiled softly even though Maura couldn't see it.

"Pizza, Maura." Brandi answered. She could hear Maura hum before Maura hung up. Brandi sighed and ran her hand through her mane of hair before rolling onto her back. She sighed again before gingerly getting up and walking over to her drawers and pulled out some clothes. Then she made her way to the shower. She wanted to look decent for Maura. Didn't want to worry her too bad.

"Raylan, what day is it?" Art asked as he moved papers around on his desk. Raylan stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Uhm." Raylan thought for a second. "Thursday. Why, you got somewhere to be?" Art shook his head.

"No. Brandi got shot last Friday, right?" Raylan nodded. "Anyone hear from her today?" Raylan stopped and thought about it. For the last couple of days, Brandi would text one of them or call, trying to see when she could come back in to work, or at least stay updated. But today she was silent.

"Not that I know of." Raylan said and leaned back and turned to Tim. "Tim, has Brandi called in yet?" Tim looked up from his screen to Raylan and then to his phone. He shook his head.

"No, she usually doesn't call until ten." Tim told him. Raylan lifted his eyebrows.

"Well, it's almost noon." He told Tim and turned back to Art. "You think she got the idea? That she needs to stay home and rest?" Art snorted.

"Brandi is smart." Art said. "But she's strong headed. There's no way she would give up this quickly. Has Rachel talked to her today?"

"I'd have to ask." Raylan said crossing his arms. Art sighed and stood up, holding a file he was looking for. "Why do you have Janice Calhoun's police record?"

"Don't worry about it." Art told him. Raylan stepped into the office and closed Art's door. Art sighed.

"Art," Raylan began. "What are you hiding?" Art sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"You hear of Janice Calhoun?" Art asked. Raylan nodded.

"Sure. Mean old woman that could give Arlo a run for his money." Raylan said. "I remember Arlo bitchin' about her every now and then."

"She's Brandi's mother." Art explained. Raylan nodded listening for the ball to drop. "A few weeks before Brandi left, there was an incident. Her mother was a fugitive and we caught her. I had just gotten on the force a year before and had been trying to get her mother for the last few months." Art paused and looked at Raylan. Raylan nodded, saying he was following. "I told Brandi that her mother had been shot after pulling a gun on us."

"Why is that an issue?" Raylan asked, not understanding what the big deal was. So her mother was dead.

"Brandi was told, by me, that her mother was shot and killed. A few weeks later, I'm helping Brandi get into the military." Art explained. "Meanwhile, her mother is one trial and in prison before she even gets out of bootcamp."

"What a minute." Raylan said, raising a hand and stopping Art. "You just said she was dead." There was a long pause before Raylan spoke again. "Art, you didn't."

"It was the only way I could get her out of Kentucky and get her out of life she was in." Art told him. "Raylan, you should have seen her face when she heard her momma was dead. She was relieved. She was happy. She wasn't sad or depressed, or shocked. She was relieved." Raylan listened to what Art was saying and he had to agree that maybe Art was right.

"So why bring up her file now?" He asked. Art sighed.

"With her being a Marshal, I don't want her to risk bumping into her mother during a prison transport or something. I'm having her transferred to California." Art explained. Raylan nodded and there was a knock on Art's door. It was Rachel. "Come in."

"Sorry to interrupt." Rachel told them. "Tim told me you were asking if anyone's heard from Brandi. She hasn't called me yet. Do you want me to go check on her?" She offered. Art nodded.

"You and Tim go check." Art ordered. Rachel nodded. "I'm not risking it with her concussion." Rachel nodded again and shut the door.

"Art, I hope you know what you're doing." Raylan said. Art sighed.

"So do I Raylan." Art told him. "So do I."

"She's staying here?" Rachle asked as the two pulled into the parking lot.

"I sure hope so." Tim said. "I dropped her off here." Rachel pursed her lips and hummed. "I'm sure she's fine."

'"I'm not worried." Rachel defended with a smile. Tim smiled.

"Yeah, just saying that to make myself feel better." Tim said sarcastically. "Alright, let's go." He huffed and the two climbed out of his truck. They walked up to the door and knocked first. They heard voices in the room and waited for someone to open the door.

"Maura, no!" They heard Brandi shout and a blonde woman opened the door with a smile. The two saw Brandi sitting on the edge of her bed with a baby in her arms, with a brief look of absolute terror.

"What, it's just these two." Maura said and turned back to them. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"We're Brandi's coworkers." Rachel explained. "I take it you're Maura." Rachel said with a smile. Maura beamed and nodded, opening the door.

"Yes, come on in." She said. Tim and Rachel smiled politely and walked in. Brandi stood, holding the child close.

"What are you two doing here?" She asked bluntly. Rahcel chuckled.

"Well, Art was worried you died." Tim told her, his hands on his hips. "You sure you should be standing?" He asked. Brandi rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine." Brandi said. "Maura just ran over with lunch. She was worried, too. Ya'll need to remember I can take care of myself."

"Says the one who has a chest torn up by rocksalt." Rachel said teasingly. Brandi rolled her eyes and sat down and turned her attention to the baby. She started using the voice people use with infants.

"You know I'm a grown up." She cooed. " Yes you do. Yes you do." She said and the child laughed.

"She's cute." Rachel said. "What's her name?" Maura turned with a smile.

"Her name's Grace." Maura said. "My husband and I are taking her up to see my parents next week. Figured Brandi should see her before we leave. We'll be gone for about a month." Tim looked at Brandi and saw she was hugging the child again and pouting Maura laughed at her. "I swear to God, Brandi, you're more attached to her than I am some days."

"You can leave her here. They kicked me out of the office." Brandi said. Rachel smiled at her co worker and Maura laughed.

"I'm just gonna look up child services number now." Tim teased and Maura snorted.

"Please, if I had to leave her to anyone it'd be Brandi. She would go to hell and back if it meant keeping Grace safe." Maura said. Brandi scoffed.

"You make it sound like I care." Brandi teased as she started playing peak a boo with the child who was laughing hysterically. Maura rolled her eyes.

"I brought pizza. You guys want any?" She asked and grabbed a slice for herself. It was a large pepperoni.

"Hand me a slice." Brandi said and Maura rolled her eyes and grabbed her a slice.

"No thanks." Rachel declined politely. "We were just here to make sure Brandi's still alive. Art got worried when you stopped bugging us."

"You know you miss me." Brandi responded with a smile. Rachel smiled back and Tim smirked.

"I miss someone doing my paperwork for me." Tim said, crossing his arms. Maura took her baby back and sat down at the table, setting the child on her lap. "How's your head?" HE asked. Brandi shrugged.

"I'm fine. The headaches are pretty much gone but if I get up to fast I get dizzy." She admitted. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"You know you're not supposed to be getting up." She nagged and Brandi snorted. Rachel should have known better by know. "You think you'll be ready to go back to work soon?"

"What are you talkin' about?" Tim spoke up. "She'd go back today if Art would let her."

"Damn right I would." Brandi mumbled. Maura stood and grabbed her bag. "Where you going?" Brandi asked.

"I have to get going." Maura told her. "I still have to pack to visit my parents. I'll see you later Brandi." She said and turned to the two other Marshals. "It was nice to meet you." She said. Tim and Rachel bid her goodbye politely.

"So what'd I miss at the office?" Brandi asked. "Boyd do anything yet? Raylan shoot someone?" Brandi asked as Tim sat in a chair and Rachel sat on the bed next to her, careful not to jostle her and hurt her ribs. She hummed. Tim sat and looked at Brandi. She was wearing a white tank top and a denim shirt like a jacket. She had the sleeves rolled up. She was wearing loose grey sweat pants that looked worn and had a small tear on her knee. Her crazy brown hair had been pulled into a messy bun and she had a black bandana rolled like a headband with the knot on top of her head. She almost looked like Rosie the Riveter. Brandi still looked exhausted, but she always looked like that.

"Boyd's been pretty quiet. He's working in a mine again." Rachel explained. "Rumor has it he's staying with Ava, now."

"Wow, really?" Brandi asked. "I thought she was with Raylan."

"Well, she was until Raylan started sleeping with his ex-wife. At least that's what I think's goin' on" Tim told her as he grabbed some pizza. Brandi's jaw dropped bit. How stupid could he be? "I know, crazy right?" Tim said, seeing her expression.

"Tim, don't go spreading rumors you don't know are true." Rachel lectured. Tim smirked and leaned back.

"How do you know it isn't though?" He questioned. "And do you really think he wouldn't pull that kind of shit? This is Raylan we're talkin' about." Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Tim and Raylan lost a prisoner during a transport the other day." Rachel said with a smile. Brandi dropped her jaw even more and turned to Tim.

"You didn't." She scolded and threw her hands up the air, biting back the pain in her ribs. "I'm not even gone for a full week and you two loose a prisoner!" Tim frowned.

"She had help." Tim brought up. "And we got her back. She was pregnant and wanted to have her baby and sell it. She got knocked up by a guard."

"Wow." Brandi said and ran her hand over her face. "That's one mess of a week." Rachel hummed.

"It's pretty slow now." Rachel explained. "Nothing really going on now that Boyd is staying out of trouble."

"You think he's gonna stay that way?" Brandi asked, genuinely curious. Tim snorted and Rachel smirked.

"From what I've seen of Boyd so far, there's no way he can." Rachel said. "I'm giving him a few weeks before he does something again." Brandi shrugged carefully. Rachel sighed and stood. "We gotta get going. You need to rest up. I'm getting tired of being stuck with Tim." Rachel teased.

"You know you love my company." Tim teased as he stood as well.

Brandi had to stay home for until the following Wednesday. And she made sure to bother Art every day for sending someone to check on her. Tuesday she was checked out and cleared for duty, but it was recommended that she remain on desk duty for a week or so. She was still sore and they didn't want her to refracture her ribs. She was just glad to be back.

Maura and her husband had left to visit her parents on Tuesday. On Friday Grace had a fever and Maura had taken her to the hospital. Brandi, after hearing about her God daughter's condition, had rolled off the bed and climbed into her truck. The bumpy road to the hospital almost brought her to tears, but she still went. Maura was exasperated with her friend, but not surprised. Brandi was there for a few hours before Maura made her go home.

Tuesday, after she was cleared for duty, she was in the shooting range, making sure she could shoot. It hurt like hell, but she pushed through it. It would take more time to get back to being as proficient as she was, but it would do for now. Art had wanted to see what she could do so he could determine how long he was going to chain her to her desk. She wore her ripped jeans that day and a black sweater with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow. Her curly brown hair was pulled into a tight French braid.

Tim watched her as she passed their desks and went into Art's office, her target sheet in her hand. Her head was held high and her shoulders were square. She looked confident, glad to finally be back, even if she wasn't working that day. Tim's gaze lingered as she passed and stayed on her until the door to Art's office was shut. Tim then looked to Rachel who was standing in front of him with a file.

"She'll say yes." She told him almost absentmindedly as she flipped through the file. Tim smiled calmly and looked at her.

"And just how do you know that?" Tim asked.

"Woman's intuition." Rachel stated and dropped the file on his desk, looking at him knowingly. "We know things." Tim smirked.

"And what makes you think I want to ask her out?" Tim asked. Rachel's eyebrows shot up and just looked at him. Rachel looked at him for a long time before he sighed through his nose. Rachel just smiled and walked away.

If Tim did ask her out, he wasn't so sure she would say yes. Brandi kept her distance as far as emotional connection. When she first started out, she was distant in every sense of the word and stoic. Her face was always blank and her humor was dry. But as she got more familiar with her coworkers, she started opening up a bit more. She was snarky and sarcastic. Brandi seemed to have relaxed around them. She and Rachel had gotten along just fine, and she even got used to Raylan getting in trouble every other week. But Brandi and Tim were a force to be reckoned with. Rachel kept Raylan in line and Raylan worked well with Rachel, they had a deeper trust. Raylan and Tim trusted each other, yes, and they worked well together, but it was obvious Tim and Brandi worked together best.

Tim enjoyed her company and her snark. She was blunt as hell but he had to pry things from her, if he really wanted to know. And Brandi found herself doing the same thing to Tim. Tim also respected her for her abilities. She was a good Marshal and he didn't have to worry about her too much. Brandi has proven that she is capable of handling herself in a sticky situation.

 _Tim and Brandi were out serving a warrant of arrest. They should have seen it coming. Neither were really surprised. Of course the person was going to try to run. They were just glad it didn't end with Brandi getting a chest full of rocksalt this time. They had knocked on the door and had to break it down when they heard him trying to leave. Tim had gone around back and entered that way. Brandi was heading up the stairs to the second floor after they cleared the rooms downstairs. Tim was behind her but it was narrow. There were two rooms upstairs that were right across from each other. As Brandi turned her head and looked to the one on her left, the man's arm swung out from the right._

 _Brandi had seen it out of the corner of her eye before Tim could say anything. She dropped her gun and grabbed the arm and twisted. The man came out of the room shouting and trying to pull free but she had him in a hold that would brake his arm if he moved wrong. She was fast and she was strong._

Tim had to admit it was fun watching someone as small as her man handle full grown men. Tim enjoyed the banter between them. Either in the office or in her truck, (she usually drove). They were snipping back and forth at each other with sarcastic, teasing comments. But even with as much progress as they had made with her, she still kept her personal life to herself for the most part.

If she was upset, she never showed it, she kept her anger in check and never raised her voice, she was calm and stoic in times of crisis and never panicked. She only ever showed the more positive emotions like humor or happiness, and those were rare.

"You like Dave Alvin?" Tim asked one slow afternoon. Brandi looked away from her computer and to him.

"Pardon?" She asked, making sure he was asking her. Tim glanced at her before looking back at his monitor. He leaned back in his chair and grabbed the small stress ball he messed with when he was bored.

"You like Dave Alvin?" He asked again and swung his chair to face her a bit, a bored look on his face. She frowned. "He's playing at a bar, just outside of Lexington. Wonderin' if you'd like to join me for a drink." He asked. Brandi's eyebrows rose gently and she shrugged with a small smile.

"Sure." She told him. "I'd love to join you." She drawled out quietly and Tim smiled his teasing smile.

"I'll pick you up around eight." He said and looked back at his desk. Brandi frowned.

"Wait, when is it?" She asked and Tim smirked, still looking at his computer.

"Tonight." He said. "That a problem?" He asked and heard her sigh.

"No. Just last minute." Brandi said. "Your date ditch you?"

"Not yet." He teased and smirked again at the snort that came from Brandi's direction.

Tim didn't just enjoy her company. He found himself enjoying the view too. She was a beautiful woman. She had tanned skin and dark wild hair and he liked it best when she wore it down around her shoulders. She had a soft face but fierce eyes. They were dark, dark brown. They looked black in the right lighting. But when the sun hit them, they reminded Tim of fresh ground coffee, or soft new earth. They had a depth to them that seemed to be filled with wisdom. Tim was unnerved when she pinned him with an irritated stare. He felt like he was looking right through him and seeing all his dirty little secrets.

And when Tim wasn't captivated by her dark, dark eyes, he was admiring her figure. He wasn't leering or being creepy. He was admiring it from a distance. She was toned but had soft curves. Brandi had one of those hour glass figures women killed for, her hips swayed when she walked as if she owned the place, she held herself with confidence. And when she wore the right jeans, his eyes were damn near glued to her ass. Rachel had caught him staring a few times and gave him a knowing look.

His romance life hadn't been doing so well, but then again, he wasn't exactly putting in any effort to change that. Between work and his PTSD, it was gonna be hard to find a woman who understood.

But then again, Brandi was in the same boat as him with work, and he was willing to bet she didn't leave the military without some scars.

The anxiety she felt while waiting to Tim to show up nearly made her vomit. She didn't eat anything, she couldn't stomach it. Should she really be going on a date with a coworker? Especially after what happened in Virginia? Maybe she would back out, say she got sick.

But on the other hand, she did find herself liking Tim. And he seemed interested as well, so why the hell not? Why shouldn't she have good time?

Brandi was pacing her room and checking her reflection over and over and over again. Her hair was down and fell past her shoulders in a curly mane. She had on a soft pine green long sleeved shirt that was tucked into her favorite pair of jeans. They had frayed rips on her thighs and knees and hit her well. They were comfortable and flattering. On her feet were her boots that added a slight height and a sway to her walk. She loved the boots too and wore them often to work. Her make up was basic, just eyeliner and mascara. Should she add lipstick? Or maybe lipgloss? Would that be too much?

Her phone buzzed with a text. Tim was waiting for her outside. She sighed and tried to calm herself. No turning back now. She grabbed her black leather jacket and threw it on before grabbing her small purse and keys. She made sure to lock the door behind her and made her way to Tim's truck. There was nothing to worry about, this was Tim.

Brandi couldn't help but smile brightly as she climbed into his truck. He smiled softly back at her and she found herself relaxing into his seat. Her racing heart slowed and she found it easier to breathe. It was a nice night out. It wasn't too warm and it wasn't too cold and you could smell the earth and see the bright stars. A part of her had missed this part of Kentucky.

The drive was pleasant and calm. Every so often one of them would speak, but they were just as comfortable with the silence. Honestly, they just enjoyed each other's company. Sure it was nice to have someone to talk to, but to have someone who understood even a bit, and just have them near, that was the best part.

"How long you work for Art?" Brandi asked, breaking the silence. Tim glanced at her and found her brown eyes watching him in the dark.

"Almost a year now." Tim answered, looking back at the roads. "You grew up around here, right?" He asked. Brandi hummed.

"Just outside of Harlan." She told him and leaned her head against the window. "Was spared from all the trash there for the most part."

"But you still managed to find trouble." Tim drawled with a smirk. Brandi looked at him, pinning him with a slight frown. He felt her glaring holes in his head. "Art's got two pictures of you behind his desk." Brandi frowned.

"He has pictures of me?" She asked, completely taken off guard by that. Tim nodded and hummed.

"One's from when you graduated from Basic. The other is your mug shot." Tim told her, humor clear in his voice. Brandi groaned and covered her face in her hands.

"Please tell me you're joking." She begged. Tim chuckled and shook his head.

"I'll show you where they are on Monday." He promised.

"In my defense," Brandi started. "I was only arrested once. They didn't catch me on everything else."

"What'd they catch you on?" Tim asked.

"It was stupid and the charges didn't stick." Brandi told him, "I didn't even do anything." Tim turned his head and looked at her, not believing her. "Honestly, the one thing they arrest me for and I wasn't even doing anything for once."

"Ok," Tim said with a sigh, realizing he wasn't getting anywhere that way, "what should they have gotten you on?" Brandi smirked. She was kind of proud for doing so much and not getting caught.

"Mostly car theft. I got really good at hot wiring cars." Brandi admitted almost smugly. "Nothing better than speeding around the country side in the middle of the night in the principal's car." He laughed quietly.

"You ever do any racing?" Tim asked, joking. He was almost surprised when she grinned.

"All the time." She told him. "I started when I was fifteen." Her smile fell a bit. "Probably not something to be proud of, but it's something I'm good at."

"Why?" Tim asked, shrugging. "Everyone's done something shady."

"Oh yeah?" She asked, challenging him, "what you do?"

"Besides blast the heads off the Taliban?" He asked, glancing over at her as he pulled into the parking spot.

"Point made." Brandi admitted with a smile, feeling a bit better at her "criminal" history, as he cut the engine.

"You keepin' score?" He joked and opened the door. Brandi unbuckled and climbed out after him, smiling at the comment.

"I might be." She teased and walked over to him. She slid her arm around his and the two started walking.

"Who's winning?" Tim asked as they walked. Brandi snorted.

"Tim, I just started counting." She told him, still playing along.

"So that means I am." He said with his shit eating grin. Brandi rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say." She mumbled as Tim opened the door and left her in. Brandi had to stop for a second. It was crowded and dim. Immediately her eyes were darting around, looking for exits, then looking for threats. She flinched slightly when Tim's hand touched her arm. He was right behind her and he ducked his head slightly to talk in her ear. "You good?" He asked. Brandi nodded and offered him a small smile. His hand rested on the small of her back as they headed over to the bar. All the tables were taken already, and Brandi liked standing better. She stood next to Tim as he leaned against the bar and ordered them both drinks. Dave Alvin was already playing and people were chatting. It was loud and busy, but it wasn't overwhelming. Brandi enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. The alcohol helped her loosen up too.

She was on her second drink when she felt someone staring at her. She looked over and her eyebrows raised slightly when she saw Raylan. She took a sip and started choking on it when she saw who he was with. Brandi coughed slightly as the drink burned her throat. Tim frowned slightly and patted her back.

"You alright?" He asked, almost concerned. She nodded and tipped her glass in the direction of Raylan and his date discretely. They were starting to stand.

"Is that Wynona and Raylan?" She asked and Tim looked before grinning. His arm dropped to rest on her waist and drew her gently closer.

"Well I'll be damned." Tim said.

"Ain't she still married?" Brandi asked, a bit confused. Tim shrugged and grinned.

"She's supposed to be getting a divorce from what I hear." Tim told her. Brandi nodded, listening. "Rachel owes Art and I twenty." Brandi snorted.

"She must have been hoping Raylan isn't as much of an idiot as everyone thinks." Brandi said. "She's a brave woman." Tim hummed in agreement and ordered another drink. It was his second and her third. "Didn't look like they were too happy. You think they saw us?" Brandi asked. Tim shrugged.

"Probably why they left." He told her. She leaned into him and grinned.

"Their loss." Brandi said as she took her drink and looked back at the stage. Brandi had lost count of how many drink she had, and wasn't exactly sure what she was drinking at some points. But it still wasn't enough for her to get black out drunk. Brandi knew how to pace herself. Still, she was glad she wasn't driving.

Tim and Brandi left the bar and headed to his truck, Brandi a giggling, stumbling mess, and Tim with his arm wrapped around her shoulders with a grin on his face, tying to help her walk. He opened her door and helped her in. She started giggling again.

"You're such a gentleman." She snorted sarcastically and he just gave her a teasing grin before shutting her door. Brandi bit her lip and smiled as he came around to his side. He climbed in with ease and started the car. Brandi didn't bother buckling her seat belt, but Tim did. He even buckled Brandi's for her. He knew she was too uncoordinated at the moment to get it done right. She was leaning against the window and grinning like an idiot. Tim's hand rested gently just above her knee and her hand rested over his. They didn't speak on the way back, but Brandi did try to sing with the radio. She wasn't bad, she just couldn't stop slurring her words. Tim just grinned and let her sing. When they pulled up to her motel, Tim took her hand and helped her out of the truck. One hand was on her waist to steady her as she got down and she just grinned at him. He smiled softly back. The two were chest to chest and Brandi stood on her tip toes to kiss him. It was short and sweet and she dropped back onto her feet and took his hand.

Tim, like the gentleman he was helped her to her motel room. There were a few steps and he stopped there. Brandi turned, noticing he stopped following and pouted before breaking out into a giggle fit again. Tim just smiled at her. Brandi stood infront of him and put her arms around his shoulders. A chill went down his spine when her nails gently scraped at the nape of his neck and his hands were on her hips as she swayed slightly.

"You just gonna leave me?" She teased quietly. She had stopped slurring during the ride back. It was about a 45 minute drive. "What if I bump my head?" Tim snorted quietly and grinned. She'd started sobering up on the way back.

"I think you'll survive another night without me, darling." He teased and she pouted slightly.

"Tonight was so much fun." Brandi said quietly and leaned in. As they kissed, Tim's arms wrapped around her waist and brought her even closer. She moved from his mouth to his ear and whispered. "It doesn't have to end." She teased and Tim smiled again before looking at her again.

"Who knew you'd be such a lush." He teased and Brandi snorted loudly before covering her mouth and nose with her hands. Tim couldn't help but chuckle at her. It was adorable and unexpected. "As much as I'd love to stay, I think you've had too much to drink, sweet heart." He teased. Brandi grinned like a cat and she stopped swaying.

"I don't think you've had enough." She told him bluntly. "C'mon. I got some Jameson waiting for us inside." She offered and dropped her voice to a whisper. "I know you want to." She almost sung as she leaned in and kissed him again. Brandi could feel him smiling and kissed him deeper. He pulled her tighter and she gently tugged at the short hair on the back of his head near his neck and bit his lip teasingly. Brandi let out a yelp that dissolved into a loud laugh as Tim had lifted her up and guided her lags to wrap around him. Tim climbed the steps and went to the door. Brandi pulled her keys out of her pocket and he unlocked the door. It swung open and Brandi giggled as she kissed him again. She knew she'd won this time.

Tim kicked the door shut with his foot as they came in. Brandi was taking off her coat and dropped it on the floor before her hands went to his jacket. It took some shifting and giggling on her part before they got the jacket off him. He gently dropped both of them on the bed and his hands traveled up and began lifting up her shirt. Brandi helped him get her shirt off and then went to unbutton his but he stopped her and broke away from the kiss. He held her hands in his and looked at her. Brandi frowned and saw the confliction in his face. He hovered over her, one leg supporting him, the other was slightly hangin off the bed, almost reaching the floor.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly. He looked at her with her mane of hair fanned out around her head like a dark halo. He didn't say anything but Brandi brought a hand up from his grip to gently caress his face. He actually closed his eyes and sighed. "Tim?" She asked in an odd tone. He opened his eyes and looked at her blank face. She was giving him a deadpanned look. SHe tightened her legs around him and twisted. Tim rolled with her, letting her roll them. She sat on top, straddling him and rest her hands next to his head. Her hair fell to one side and she looked at his slightly amused expression. "I did not offer to share a bottle of Jameson just for you to stare at me." He smirked and let his hands wander up her thighs.

"I wasn't just staring." He teased. "Just wondering if I was ever gonna see that bottle of Jameson you offered." Tim said with a shit eating grin. Brandi grinned and swatted his arm.

"Men." She mumbled and sat up, still straddling him and looked over somewhere. Tim took this chance to roll them again and Brandi yelped in surprise but laughed again until Tim cover her lips again. The laughs turned into sighs and gasps as clothes disappeared and hands wandered. Hair was pulled, nails were dragged through skin and mouths bit. At the end of it all, Tim earned his share of Jameson.

Brandi lay next to him breathless and panting. She was speechless. He might not be able to carry a tune, and his hand writing is shit, but good lord could that man screw. Just another thing she learned about her co worker. Then it hit Brandi, she realized what she just did, what she swore she wasn't going to do. She fucked a co worker. Again. Her head rolled to the side and looked at Tim before looking back at the ceiling.

"Shit." She gasped out and looked at him again before looking up again and running a hand over her face. "Ah, fuck." She said. Tim wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer.

"Just what every girl wants to hear." He drawled before propping himself up on one arm and looking at her. "What's wrong?" He asked, waiting for what he knew was going to come. Brandi let her hands drop and she looked at him.

"We have to be at work in a few hours." She pointed out. Tim nodded. "We work together." She said, moving her finger to point at them back and forth.

"And?" Tim asked, waiting for her to say something like it was a mistake, or it shouldn't happen again. Brandi sighed.

"I was supposed to try and not sleep with a co worker this time." Brandi admitted. "Got into some stupid shit last time." Tim raised his eyebrows. He wasn't expecting that.

"That all?" He asked and Brandi frowned and nodded. "Well, I told myself I was gonna stop drinkin' for new year's and look how that turned out." Tim said with a small smile as he dropped back next to Brandi. She frowned.

"So, you don't mind that in a few hours we have to get up and go work together? Like nothing happened?" She asked. "You don't think it was a mistake?"

"I don't if you don't." He sighed with a tired smile. "I had a fun time." He teased and Brandi rolled her eyes before grinning. "Now roll over, your breath stinks." Tim joked and Brandi let out a brief laugh before swatting his arm, making him grin bigger. Brandi rolled her and moved her hair over her shoulder and smirked as tim pulled her close and kissed her shoulder.

"Who'd think you'd be a cuddler." Brandi teased and he grunted.

"Shut up." He said tiredly. "Go to sleep. We got work tomorrow. Remember?" Brandi chuckled and let herself be held. She thought she's never feel comfortable with another man like this again. But she never felt safer and sleep came quickly. Sadly, it was short lived as one of her nightmares had her sitting upright in a panic. It was a bad nightmare and she was shaking slightly. Brandi looked at Tim and was glad to see he was still sleeping. She smiled softly at the sight and stood up. Brandi wandered around until she found her pants and pulled out her phone. Four in the morning, just like always. She sighed and walked over to her dresser. She quietly began pulling out what she would need for the day but froze when she heard someone moving around. It was still dark and she couldn't see much.

"Just me." Tim's voice said quietly near her and she relaxed as he came closer. He wrapped his arms around her. His voice was gravely. "Nightmare?" He asked and she hummed. "Come back to bed for a bit." He offered, his voice still low. Brandi smiled and touched his arm.

"I gotta get a shower." She told him. "Besides, what would Art think if I came in late?" Brandi said as she turned in his arms and she could feel him laughing softly.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked and she chuckled. "I'm gonna need one too. Save water this way." He said and she could hear the grin in his voice. She led him to the bathroom and they climbed in. They didn't do anything, just showered and teased. There was a level of comfort they had reached that allowed them to be comfortable with this sort of intimacy. Maybe it came from having to trust each other every day. Neither questioned it, they just enjoyed having someone who could understand. They understood what the job required of them, they understood the scars from war, they just understood each other.

"Damnit, Tim, fuck you." Brandi shouted from the bathroom as Tim pulled on his clothes again. He grinned.

"What I do already?" Tim drawled as he finished pulling his shirt on.

"You left fucking hickeys all over." She called. "Didn't even bother to hide them." Brandi said as she opened her medicine cabinet and pulled out over up and foundation. "It's gonna take me forever to fucking cover this up."

"You're a ray of sunshine in the morning." Tim drawled as he walked in, fully dressed and a smirk on his face. She glared at him before applying cover up.

"I don't have any coffee." She said as an excuse as she began covering some of the splotches.

"I'll bring you some when I get in." He said as he left the door frame and grabbed his coat and keys off the bed. "See you in an hour." He called and Brandi heard the door shut. She stopped what she was doing and gripped the sink and breathed. She looked at her reflection and thought.

Was that really a good idea? What on earth was she thinking? Was it too soon? Would it change their work relationship? Brandi hoped to God it wouldn't change anything. Maybe she should step back a bit from whatever it is that's going on. Brandi went back to trying to cover up the splotches. After a few frustrating minutes, she let out a frustrated grunt and put away her crappy, cheap makeup. Why does she even have it? It doesn't do anything. Brandi pulled her hair out of the messy bun it was in and fixed it to lay in a way to hide her neck. She sighed through her nose. Most could be hidden well enough from view by a shirt with a collar. But there was one right below her ear. Her hair would have to do. Brandi brushed her teeth and grabbed a light blue shirt that buttoned up and pulled on black slacks. She grabbed what she needed and headed out.

 _Sundown, you better take care if I find you sneakin' round my back stairs._

Brandi wasn't singing along, she was too preoccupied. She wasn't quite sure where to go from here with Tim. What were they? _You know what?_ Brandi thought to herself. _It doesn't matter. I won't change my behavior, I'll treat him just the same._ There was no reason not to. They were just friends as far as she knew. Friends who just so happened to work together, and apparently sleep together now. Brandi groaned loudly and threw her hands in the air in frustration. _Fuck it._ She thought to herself as she pulled into the parking lot.

She couldn't help but feel relived that the lot was empty for the most part. Tim wasn't there yet, and Brandi didn't expect him to be. He still had to go home, change and drive all the way back, and pick up coffee. Brandi was sitting at her desk and turned on her light. She logged onto her computer and checked her phone messages. Nothing of any important. Just Maura, who was still at her parents. They were going to be there for another week or two.

She had to stop herself when she was halfway through pulling her hair up for a ponytail. That was going to be a rough habit to break. Her stomach rumbled and she craved caffeine.

Art walked in to see Brandi sitting at her desk and had to stop for a second. She looked almost like she was seventeen again. But this time, her back was straight and her shoulders were squared. Brandi's chin was up and she didn't look like the battered young girl she once was. Art had to smile to himself before walking through the offices.

"Morning." Art all but sang cheerily as he walked by. Brandi hummed and kept her eyes on the screen. Art just laughed quietly to himself.

"You seem excited." Brandi stated flatly. Art smiled smugly.

"I get to chew out two of my deputies for shooting someone in the head." Art said in his tone that was unique to him and his ways.

"Yikes." Brandi offered, humoring Art. Then she frowned. Who shot the guy again? Who was shot? Brandi sat and thought, and the only person she could remember who was shot, was the man who helped the pregnant woman escape. If she remembered correctly, Tim shot the man. That happened over a week ago. He's just now getting around to yelling at them? Brandi blinked when someone stood in front of her. She looked up to see Tim, furrowing his eyebrows and holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee.

"I'm confused at your confusion." He said in his bland voice before cracking a grin. She stuck her hand out for the cup.

"Gimme." She mumbled and Tim gave it over. Food could wait. IT tasted amazing. It could be the crappiest coffee in the world for all she cared, and she would still call it amazing. Tim was back at his desk, turning on his stuff as Brandi leaned back and sighed happily. "You in trouble." Brandi said quietly in the tone kids used when people got sent to the principal's office. Tim just exhaled shortly through his nose, amused. Neither looked at each other. Brandi brought the cup back up to her lips and spoke quietly. "No good morning?"

"Thought I'd said that earlier." Tim answered with a smug smirk. Brandi just sighed. She hoped they wouldn't be stuck at the desk all day. Brandi was being driven up a wall with all of the paperwork. She'd take a prisoner transfer at this point.

Raylan was the last to work as usual and Art got to him before he could even sit down.

"Raylan, Tim. In here, now." He ordered calmly. Tim sighed and stood. Raylan held his arms out in a confused gesture, with a look of a kicked puppy.

"What I do?" He asked quietly, but went into the office anyway. Art shut the door, and Brandi was left unable to hear anything. But she kept her eyes on the screen in front of her. It didn't take very long and then the two were standing again, but Raylan was called back inside. Tim and Raylan shared a look but Tim sat back down to his desk.

"Raylan still in trouble?" She asked. Tim glanced over but frowned and kept watching the two in Art's office. Brandi looked as well and saw Raylan turn to look at them briefly. Brandi's stomach dropped to the floor and she turned back to the monitor, clearing her throat. Tim eventually looked back at his monitor, face blank and calm. Her face was blank as well, but her eyes had a hardness to them. "Do we need to worry?" Tim put his hand on his chin and let his fingers rest curled infornt of his mouth.

"Doubt it." Tim said quietly. "Technically, we didn't do anything wrong." Brandi hummed, not quite buying it. Brandi glanced at the two and saw Raylan was trying ot leave but Art was teasing him about something. The two left the office talking about some kind of new case. Brandi exhaled slowly as they left the room. She heard Tim snort and shot him a glare.

Raylan returned exasperated. Art had been teasing him over a stupid decision. She could just tell. Art has a special way of getting under your skin.


	4. Chapter 4

Tim sat at his desk, fingers curled in front of his mouth, and his eyes fixed on his computer screen in front of him. While he was grateful for the small break from chasing down fugitives, the desk work was getting boring. Maybe Boyd would stay out of trouble, maybe he'd be able to keep his head down for a while. Who knew?

He glanced out the corner of his eye to his partner. Brandi sat at her desk. The light blue shirt looked good on her and the collar helped to hide the slight bruises he had left the night before. Her hair hid the one under her ear pretty well, but Tim still knew they were there. He couldn't help but smirk proudly to himself.

"What are you grinning at?" Brandi's voice spoke up quietly. He looked at her again and saw she was still looking at her own computer.

"What's got you wound up?" He teased, noticing her tense posture. She hadn't been that tense since her first day. Her scowl took over her pretty face and she turned to him.

"I'm not wound up." Brandi stated defensively. Tim smiled and nodded, showing her didn't believe her and wasn't going to push.

"Right, right." He said and looked back to his own computer. "You just naturally sit that stiff." He teased. He smirked again when he heard Brandi sigh. He did love teasing her. Her phone rang and she jumped slightly and Tim raised an eyebrow, slightly amused at how jumpy she was. He had an idea at why Brandi was a bit tense, but couldn't bring himself to feel guilty about it.

Tim could remember what her hair smelled like when he held her close and buried his face in the small spot where her neck and shoulder joined. Her hair was soft against his face, and she smelled like a cinnamon or nutmeg spice. He remembered breathing her in and how he felt himself relax, feeling her breathing, a steady rise and fall. After the stress of the past week, going to that concert with Brandi, and the activities after it, let him unwind and clear his mind. He could feel the tension leaving him as the night went on. And when Brandi woke with a start and pulled away, he missed her warmth, her comforting warmth.

It wasn't just her physical presence that helped him unwind, it was also the fact that she understood him. They had grown close quickly and understood how each other worked, how they thought. He wasn't bother that he had just taken another man's life, but he wondered if it was the right call. He couldn't think of any other way that could have played out with the baby surviving. But he still wondered. And shouldn't he feel conflicted about ending another man's life? Or should he feel justified in doing what he did? Tim might not show it, but he had his own doubts.

When he looked at Brandi, he knew he had done the right thing. Or at least she would agree with him. Something told Tim that Brandi would have done the same, you do what you gotta do. Then he thought, what if Brandi was at the end of the man's barrel? Would he feel just as confident in his skill then? He hoped, that if it ever came down to it, he would have the balls to pull the trigger.

"I'm getting' lunch. Want anything?" Brandi asked as she stood and grabbed her keys.

"Where you going?" He asked.

"Just that chicken place a few blocks away." She answered. Tim smiled a bit. "Might just get a big order and people can take what they want."

"Well, I know I won't complain." Tim said as he pulled out his wallet. He handed her some cash to help pay for the food. "You gonna run it again?" He joked. Brandi snorted.

"Screw that." She answered and moved to Rachel's desk, letting her know she was getting lunch and asking if she wanted something specific. Tim watched her leave. He wasn't sure how he felt about Brandi, but he did know he loves her company, and values her thoughts. And maybe that's all that they need right now, to just enjoy each other.

After Brandi left, Tim glanced at Rachel who was grinning at him knowingly. Tim looked back at his computer with a satisfied smile. He wasn't too bothered if anyone knew. He preferred to keep his life private, but wasn't too concerned about it.

Brandi's head was about to explode. She really needed to get this worrying problem under control. Since she's been back it's been one stressor after another. It's no wonder she was still having nightmares. At least she wasn't flashing back again. And it was the littlest thing that could send her into a good few hours of worrying. If she thought about it, she realized nothing worse than endless teasing from her coworkers would come of it. There was no way there would be a repeat of Virginia, Tim wasn't like that.

 _Neither was Mark when they first started._ She thought as she walked down the sidewalk. Brandi breathed in the fall air. It was fresh and crisp and gave her a bit of comfort. She could feel herself calming down. Tim wasn't Mark. But still, does Art know? What would he say? And she'd come to know Rachel well enough to value her opinion. How would she react? Would she care? Would she be happy? And Raylan, even though she didn't know him as well as the other two, but still, would he judge? Would he think less of her?

 _Where the fuck did this come from?_ She asked herself as she walked into the chicken place. Since when did she care what people thought of her? She was her own person and made her own decisions. So she wants to fool around with a coworker. At least no one would get out of prison because of it, unlike one of her coworkers.

Brandi paid for the food and left, heading back to the office. There was just one thing bugging her though. What did they know? How much did they know? Did Raylan tell Art? What did he say? It was not knowing that was driving her up a wall. Once she knew what they knew, she figured she could stop obsessing over it.

"Tim," Rachel addressed the man as she approached his desk. Tim looked up bored to his smirking coworker. "Was that a love bite on her neck?" Tim smirked.

"I wouldn't know." He shrugged. Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled before walking away, heading to the printer. He looked back to his computer but saw Brandi making her way over. "Food's here." He called to Rachel. Brandi set the bag of greasy, wonderful food down on her desk and seconds later, Tim was by her side, opening the bag and pulling out the food. Brandi smiled and rolled her eyes and sat in her chair as Tim grabbed his share and returned to his desk.

"What, no thank you?" Brandi teased and smiled at Rachel as she approached.

"Thank you very much." Tim drawled as he unwrapped his food. Rachel shook her head and reached in and grabbed her own food.

"Thank you Brandi." She stated pointedly. "I give you enough cash?" She asked, making sure. Brandi smiled and nodded.

"Yep. Don't worry about it." Brandi said as she reached in and grabbed food for herself. Art emerged from his office and rooted around in the bag for food as well and Brandi smirked at him. "You didn't even pay." She teased. Art looked at her with a knowing grin as he pulled out some food.

"You better watch it young lady." He said with a teasing tone. "You and I still gotta have a talk about somethin' a little later." He said to her, a teasing grin still on his face. He walked back into his office, satisfied with Brandi's frozen tense face. _He knows!_ She shouted in her head. She was brought back into reality when Tim snorted, trying to cover up his laughing. She glared at him and reached in grabbing some food for herself.

Brandi stood and grabbed the bag. The rest was Raylan for when he gets back. Something about going and talking to a judge downstairs or whatever. She didn't think too much of it. Later on in the day, after Raylan came back upstairs and ate his lunch, he made his way over to Brandi's desk.

"I got an oxy bus that's been shot up." He told Brandi, catching her attention. "Art wanted me to take you. Said you might be able to help." Brandi frowned.

"Oxy?" She asked and frowned, thinking back. If Art thought she could help, he must have thought it was Boyd Crowder. Her mother, before she was killed in a nasty shootout, used to work for the Crowders. When working for them, she was insured protection against the Bennett's. "Alright." She said shrugging and stood. "We goin' now?" Raylan shrugged.

"If you're ready." He said with his charming smile as Brandi grabbed her coat and her gun. "Alright."

The two road in silence for the first few minutes. Raylan hadn't had the opportunity to get to know her too well, so he didn't know what to say. Brandi was just sitting in her personal hell full of questions she was dying to ask but too afraid to. Why did Art put her with him really? Did Raylan see her and Tim? Did he tell Art? What was going on?

"Art mentioned your mother earlier." Raylan said, finally breaking the silence. Brandi turned her head to look at him, waiting for him to finish speaking. "Said she worked with the Crowders." Brandi hummed.

"Yeah. Wanted protection from the Bennetts. Or that's what it seemed like." Brandi explained. "I think she knew your pa for a while."

"Calhoun." Raylan said, pretending to put the pieces together. "Your moma ain't Janice Calhoun is she?" Brandi smirked a bit.

"The one and only." She said grimly. Raylan looked at Brandi and whistled.

"Well all be." He said. "Never thought I'd be workin' with that woman's daughter. Arlo used to drag me over to her place some nights for dinner. How come I ain't ever see you there?" Brandi snorted.

"I was outta that house every chance I got. And if I was home, I was hiding upstairs." She explained. "She was some piece of work." Raylan nodded, remembering the violent woman.

"Yeah, well, if it'll make you feel any better, Arlo wasn't the greatest, either." Brandi smiled and nodded.

"Oh yeah. I remember. Sorry, Raylan, but I could never get fond of your old man." She told him. She looked at Raylan and saw the small smile on the older man's face.

"Neither could I." He said quietly. The two went back into a small silence, but this time, Brandi wasn't as tense. "So what your moma do to piss off the Bennetts?" He asked, starting up a conversation again. Brandi sighed loudly.

"Oh, you know. Just stupid shit." She said. "The way my mother told it, Mags stole her man, way back when and my mother saw it as trying to take back what was hers." Raylan's eyebrows shot up.

"Your mother tried to sleep with Mag's husband?" Raylan asked. Brandi shook her head.

"That's the worst part. The man took off right after graduating. He was a year older than them. They been tryin' to get back at each other ever since." Brandi explained. Raylan's grin grew.

"they hate each other over highschool bullshit?" Raylan asked, trying not to laugh. Brandi snorted.

"Well, I mean my mama did try to kill her a few times since then," Brandi added. "But yeah. You can laugh. It's a stupid feud. Shame Mags won't be able to take her out for herself though."

"So your mother," Raylan said. "She worked for Bo Crowder, so she'd know about this stuff? Any connections, like where this shit's comin' from?" Raylan asked and Brandi shrugged.

"No idea. I guess I'm supposed to go with you, see if any names ring a bell from when my mama was involved. Try and find a link to Boyd." Brandi guessed. "It's a stretch, so I don't really know why I'm here." Raylan shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Raylan said.

Brandi walked next to Raylan on the opposite side of the officer, Tom Bergen. The two men were speaking about the bus, and what had happened. Brandi was content just listening in. She still felt too new at the job to be trying to take command or something.

"And that fella that got shot? He's Frankfurt born and raised." Bergen said as Raylan just hummed in acknowledgement. Brandi frowned.

"Dixie Mafia?" Brandi asked and Bergen looked at her and nodded.

"You two got any experience with that bunch?" He asked as they walked around the front of the bus.

"Little bit." Raylan said but his eyes were fixed on a cop car rolling up with the sirens on. Bergen and Brandi watched it too as the driver shifted into park. Bergen sighed, clearly not pleased at the arrival of Doyle Bennett. Brandi shared his sentiments.

"Good day gentlemen!" HE called as the three stopped walking and faced him.

"Doyle, Chief." The two men said. Doyle stopped and grinned at seeing Brandi. She stood her ground and held his gaze evenly.

"Brandi Calhoun, surprised to see you back here in Kentucky." He said. "How'd they let someone like you get into the Marshal's Service?" He asked in a jovial tone but she knew what he was saying. How'd they let a screw up like her get involved in law enforcement.

"The same way they let you be the Chief, I suppose." Brandi responded blandly and she watched as his polite smile faded.

"Well, I did not miss you." He muttered as he approached them again. "Quite a mess we got here." He said, changing the topic and ducking under the tape. Raylan hummed in agreement and Bergen verbally agreed. Doyle was right, it was a mess.

"Now I know the two of you don't hold local P.D. in the highest regards," He said as he shook the two men's hands, "Can't say I blame you after what's transpired down here, but uh," He paused, looking at them. "last thing we want is criminals stealing from criminals, people shootin' each other outta pick up trucks. So yall uh, find anything or need a hand, yall let me know." He offered cordially. Brandi crossed her arms while Raylan and Bergen nodded politely. There were a few seconds of silence and the two marshals and the police officer turned to walk away, but Doyle spoke up again. "You gonna go talk to Boyd Crowder about this?"

"It does seem like his style." Raylan said. Doyle nodded.

"You aware of his current livin' situation?" Doyle asked, no hint of malice, just genuine curiotiy. Raylan lifted his eyebrows, waiting for an elaboration. "Well, you can find him shacked up over at Ava's now." Raylan just smiled politely and turned back towards the car. They almost made it back to his town car when doyle called out to Brandi.

"Oh, hey Brandi." He called. She sighed loudly through her nose and turned to him, blank look still on her face. Doyle was smirking. "Your mama still having you steal cars?" He asked. "I'll have to tell my boys keep an eye out for joyriders." He said in a teasing tone. Brandi nodded and made to turn to leave again.

"You do that, Doyle." She told him, walking again. Raylan was looking at her with an amused expression. New conversation material for the ride back. She could hear Doyle chuckling.

"You tell your mama I said hey now." He called out, sarcasm clear in his voice. Brandi stopped walking and turned back to him, allowing confusion to be expressed on her face. She looked at Doyle.

"My moma's dead, Doyle." Brandi stated clearly. Doyle frowned, confused and slightly surprised himself. "She died years ago." He nodded after a few seconds of silence.

"Sorry for your loss." He said quietly, but insincerely. Brandi's face went blank again as she turned back to Raylan's car.

"You and I both know no one's sad of her passin', Doyle."

Brandi stayed in the car and watched while Raylan talked to Ava. She'd met Ava a few times and thought well of the woman. She was strong, a fighter, but still had the southern bell charm about her. Raylan and Ava talked for a while, and Brandi assumed it was about Boyd and his exploits. When they finished talking, Ava was still sitting on her porch as Raylan made his way back to the car.

"We have another stop to make?" Brandi asked, judging they did by the look on his face. He nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "Boyd's at Audrey's. Gonna stop by there and see if he knows anything." Brandi just nodded and went along for the ride. She like driving around Kentucky, and with Raylan driving, she got a better chance to look at the scenery. She always thought the land around here was beautiful, especially this time of year.

"What'd Doyle mean earlier?" Raylan asked as they drove. Brandi looked at him and quirked an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn't she spoke up.

"What are you talkin' about?" She asked for clarification.

"About you stealin' cars and what not." He explained with a small grin on his face. Brandi nodded.

"When I was a kid, before Art got me outta Kentucky, I kinda had this habit of hotwiring cars." She explained. "It's pretty easy once you learn how to do it. Stole a lot of cars, but I usally returned 'em in a day or two."

"Why would Doyle care about that?" Raylan asked, not seeing a connection. Brandi smirked and shrugged.

"I dunno." She said lightly. "Probably somethin' to do with me wreckin' his car when I stole it." She explained and saw Raylan grin at that. "Wrapped it around a tree. Got my ass landed in a hospital. Lucky I even survived and all."

"Shit." Raylan said with a grin still on his face. "You totaled it, didn't you?" Brandi hummed and nodded proudly. She always hated Doyle as a kid. "How'd you get out of that one with no charges?" He asked.

"Well, turns out Doyle had some not so legal things in his car at the time." Brandi explained. "And since I was workin' with the police at this point to put my moma away, I told them it was mine and that I was supposed to be meeting up with someone on my mother's behalf. I sorta took the fall for Doyle and in return he didn't charge me with grand theft auto."

"And they bought that?" Raylan asked. Brandi shook her head.

"They weren't idiots, but that was the only story they were getting." She admitted.

"Is that when you got your mug shot taken?" Raylan asked and Brandi scowled.

"You saw the picture in Art's office, didn't you." She accused and Raylan just nodded with a big ole cheesy grin of his. "Damnit, I'm gonna burn that thing." She swore and Raylan just nodded and drove. She was fun to talk to, good company for the long drives. Glad someone else had such a distaste for the Bennetts. The drive to Audrey's wasn't too long, and Brandi went inside with Raylan, but she hung back by the door, keeping an eye on everyone, making sure they didn't get cornered in case things went south, but still keeping Raylan in her line of sight. His conversation with Boyd was brief and as they left, she watched Boyd tear up Raylan's card. He was not gonna be any help.

They had just made it out of the parking lot of Audreys when Raylan got another call. That phone call would then start a chain reaction that led to one of the weirdest situations she's been in in a while. Brandi never thought that at the end of the day, she'd end up on the floor of a trailer with Raylan Givens, two whores high on oxycotin, and a small man in only his underwear, while being shot at. It's been a really weird day.

There were now three things she was sure of. First, Dewey Crowe is one of the biggest idiots she's ever met (and that's saying something), second, Raylan was a good conversationalist as well as a good shooter, and third, there was no way in hell she was going out on a job with Raylan ever again. Being shot at was not something she enjoyed.

Raylan was leaning against the bed and Brandi had brought herself to sit with her back to the wall, near the door but still out of sight. She held herself propped up on one arm, and while shooting, she was on her stomach. It was an awkward positon, but she made it work.

"Hey!" Raylan shouted. "You guys stop shootin' for a minute and lemme get a word in?" He yelled. Brandi was a bit surprised they actually stopped shooting. "Alright. Well, the good news is, you seem to be in the right place. The drugs you stole and the man who stole them from you are here. The bad news is, so am I. Here's the deal-" Raylan started but stopped as they heard another voice. Brandi frowned.

"Is that Doyle?" She asked and Raylan adjusted himself and tried to peer over the bed. He shrugged. Brandi shifted to peer out the door but flinched back when she heard gunfire. She frowned when none of the bullets hit the trailer. She looked and saw Raylan looking outside as Doyle called out "Clear!" Brandi and Raylan looked at each other, frowning, confused. Raylan stood and looked outside before offering a hand to Brandi. She took it and stood. Neither knew quite what to think.

"Must thought I was kiddn'. Told 'em drop their guns." Doyle said as he holstered his own. Brandi frowned. Seeing Doyle three times in one day was too much. The day was too much. If she was honest, she could go for a good hard drink. But first, they had a Mr. Dewy Crowe to deal with. After he was dressed and cuffed, he was tossed into the back seat of Raylan's car.

The sun was starting to set by the time they made it back to the office. Art had already gotten the call about the shooting and was pleased to hear neither of his Marshal's had any bullet holes in them. After Raylan checked in, he grabbed his things and headed home for the day, leaving the paper work for the morning.

"Where the hell you going?" Brandi asked with a huff as she dropped into her seat. Raylan smiled.

"I just got somethin' to take care of." He answered and left. Raylan was a good guy, but running around with him, getting shot at, it's exhausting. Rachel picked up on her tired mood and smiled softly.

"Welcome to my world." She said. "I have to deal with that on a regular basis."

"Yeah." Tim spoke up. "That's because Art thinks you can at least reign him in a little bit." Brandi snorted.

"There is no such thing as reigning in that man." She said as she pulled out he documents she needed to file her report. She didn't like leaving these for the morning unless she absolutely had to. Better to do it now while it's fresh. She shook off her jacket and rolled up her sleeves and threw her hair up in a messy bun. She was tired, it was a long day. After a while, people started leaving. Tim was the first, leaving plenty of work for the next day. Art followed soon after, a smug grin on his face. Rachel finished up first, but waited a few minutes for Brandi. The two chatted and walked out to their respective vehicles, bidding each other goodnight.

Brandi was tired and wanted a drink, but she also needed food. It was later in the evening, around seven or so. When Brandi pulled up to her motel place, she was ready to pick a fight with the asshole in her spot, until she saw whose truck it was. Tim Gutterson was leaning against his truck, hands in his pockets and Brandi smiled as she cut the engine of her truck. She climbed out, shut the door and locked it and meandered over to Tim who stood up right from leaning, his small smile on his face.

"Was wonderin' when you'd get here." He greeted. Brandi stopped in front of him with a coy smile.

"What're you doin' here?" She asked softly, crossing her arms and Tim stepped into her personal space, hovering his face over hers.

"Well," He spoke in a low quiet voice. "I was wonderin' if you'd be interested in joining me for dinner." Brandi quirked an eyebrow, teasing.

"Oh?" She joked quietly.

"Yeah." Tim said, grinning. "You see for some reason, I picked up enough food for two people, completely on accident."

"Completely on accident." Brandi agreed, going along with it.

"And now, I have a problem, you see." Tim said, getting closer to her. "I don't want it to go to waste." He said and gently kissed Brandi, who was grinning, amused. He could feel her shaking with laughter.

"I see your problem." She said when he broke away. One of her hands started playing with his jacket. "I suppose I could help you out." Tim grinned and kissed her again, briefly.

"It would be much appreciated, ma'am." He said with a satisfied smile. Brandi pulled out her keys.

"Just lemme change into something more comfortable." She said and walked past him, up to her door. She unlocked it and opened it. "You can come in if you want."

Tim had made them some steaks and potatoes. It was simple but it was just what Brandi needed after the day she had. She regaled Tim of her excursion with Raylan. Tim had changed into jeans and just threw a red flannel shirt over his tank top. Brandi was relieved to find he could cook. If she was left to her own devices the steak would be black as coal and the potatoes would be inedible. She couldn't cook worth shit.

"I'm gonna have to tell Art I don't want to go out on jobs with Raylan anymore." Brandi said, jokingly as she lifted her beer to her mouth, taking a sip. Tim smiled and nodded.

"Sounds like you had a hell of a day." He teased and sighed. "That Dewey Crowe sounds like he's an idiot."

"He's one of the biggest idiots I've met." Brandi said, agreeing and she rolled her shoulder back a bit. After all the train and tension lately, it's been staring to stiffen. They were sitting next to each other at his small island, still eating. "And that's sayin' something." She added and paused. "You do anythin' exciting today?"

"Unless you call paperwork and copying things exciting." Tim said with a small smile. Brandi snorted quietly. They were silent for a little bit, just eating, but Brandi rolled her shoulder again. Tim noticed her doing that every so often in the last hour and brought it up.

"You hurt your shoulder or something?" He asked. Brandi looked at him and shrugged. He could see her face slipping towards that blank look she always swore when she didn't want to talk about something.

"Just sore after all the excitement today." She answered and rolled it again.

"Here, lemme see if I can help." Tim offered and stood, moving behind her. Brandi moved her hair out of the way and Tim started working at the muscles, trying to loosen them up. "What you do to it?"

"A lot's happened." She answered vaguely and Tim sighed through his nose. He could feel her starting to tense up, but he pushed onwards anyway, gently relaxing the muscles.

"Ok, but what exactly did you do to it that makes it still bother you?" He asked patiently and he felt her trying to force herself to relax. Brandi shrugged.

"Just all the wear and tear." She told him. Tim stopped rubbing her shoulder and spun her stool around to face him. Her face was blank and he rested his hands on the outside of her legs.

"Brandi, are you gonna give me anything more specific than that?" He asked calmly, patiently. She pinned him with her dark brown eyes.

"I don't see why it matters." She said quickly. Tim just looked at her, waiting. A few seconds later she spoke again. "Dislocated it a few times. Didn't heal properly the first time so it dislocates easily." Tim smiled gently and leaned in.

"That what all the fuss is about?" He teased and kissed her. She kissed him back, but she wasn't smiling. When he broke away, she pinned him again. "Got shot by a sniper, too." She blurted out. Tim was a bit startled by the answer but smiled gently anyway.

"Ah, there it is." He said and rubbed her arms before stepping back and sitting back on his own stool, going back to his food. "You really don't like talkin' about your time in the military do you?" Brandi's face started to relax a bit and a small smile pulled at her lips.

"You don't seem to either." She pointed out and Tim chuckled.

"I don't make people drag it out of me." He pointed out and she rolled her eyes and picked up a fork of food.

Tim woke up when his body jolted from his nightmare. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Brandi was still next to him, sleeping for now. He sighed through his nose and rolled over, looking at his clock. It was almost five on a Saturday morning. He didn't have to go to work so he rolled back over and pulled Brandi close, enjoying her warmth. It took him a while to relax enough to sleep again, and he found himself lazily playing with her soft hair.

Tim was starting to doze off again, relaxed by the sound of her breathing, by the smell of her hair. Right as he was about to finally fall asleep, Brandi's body jolted violently, and the next thing he knew, she was sitting up and screaming.

"No! No! No!" She screamed and her hands seemd to try and grab at something to hold onto. Tim was up, completely alert, and careful not to startle her as she looked around wildly, panting.

"Brandi." He said quietly as she kept looking around. He gently touched her arm, frowning. "Brandi." He said again and she looked at him. She was still panting, panicked. "Brandi, you're ok." He said quietly, reassuringly. He knew she had nightmares, but he didn't know they were this bad.

"Tim." She croaked out, her voice weak. She wasn't crying, but she was freaked out. He needed to get her breathing calmer, unless he wanted her hyperventilating. He nodded and rubbed her arm.

"It's ok, Brandi." He told her. "You're ok. It's just me." He told her and gently pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around his middle as he stroked her hair. "You need to breathe, Brandi. Try to breathe." He instructed and she drew in a shaky breathe.

"The convoy flipped. It flipped and we were stuck." She rushed out. "I was stuck and he was through the windshield. He went right through it."

"Sh. Sh. Sh." He shushed. "You're not there anymore. You're not stuck anymore. You're ok, Brandi." They sat like that for a few minutes, Tim listening to make sure her breathing slowed. After a while he brought them back down onto the bed, still running his fingers through her hair. Brandi had been shaking slightly, but the shaking lessened over time.

"Sorry." She whispered quietly, embarrassed. "Sorry to wake you up."

"Don't be." He told her immediately. "It happens. But you're safe now." He told her. She nodded and tried to relax. She really wanted to sleep in, but wasn't sure if she could. She moved to sit up, but Tim gently brought her back down, resting her head on his chest. "It's Saturday, try to go back to sleep. We got no where to be." Tim told her gently. Brandi looked at him, a hint of her smile on her face.

"If I do manage to fall back asleep, I won't wake up till the afternoon." She told him. Tim smiled at her, gently, relieved to see her starting to relax.

"Well, I think you've earned it after the week you had." He told her. "Besides, I got nothing else to do." He teased and pulled the blanket back up over them. Brandi hummed and rested her head on his chest again, listening to his hearbeat, listening to his breathing.

It was a steady sound, one of those sounds that calms everyone. She tried to make herself relax as Tim ran his hand through her hair. She breathed deeply and relaxed her muscles slightly. After a few long minutes of calming down, and letting herself relax against Tim, she felt how tired she was and let her eyes drift closed. She fell back asleep, content, safe, without having to worry about getting up again any time soon. She couldn't even remember the last time she let herself sleep in late.

When Brandi said she wouldn't wake up until the afternoon, she wasn't exaggerating. Tim woke up around noon and saw Brandi was still asleep. She had rolled over on her side but was still facing Tim. He slowly sat up, not wanting to wake her. Tim looked at the woman sleeping softly in his bed. Her face the relaxed and her mouth was open slightly. She had grabbed the blanket and pulled it up under her chin and her hands still rested there. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Tim stood and made his way into the bathroom where he showered and brushed his teeth. He didn't bother styling his hair, but he did comb it back. When he walked back into the bedroom, Brandi was still dead asleep. He smiled to himself and made his way downstairs, letting her sleep.

Brandi didn't wake up until it was about one thirty. She stretched and reached out, but frowned. She was at Tim's house right? Where was he then? She opened her eyes and found the bed empty. Brandi sat up and yawned. She felt so much better this morning, but she was still slightly on edge from the nightmare. She stood up, stretching again, and looked around. She grabbed her things that had been tossed to the floor the night before. Instead of pulling on her jeans and shirt again, Brandi left them on the bed and grabbed Tim's red flannel shirt. She rolled up the sleeves and buttoned it up. Brandi was short enough that it went to her thighs, like a short dress.

She made her way downstairs, following the smell of bacon and coffee, and pulling her hair into a half assed messy bun at the bottom of her head. Some tendrils fell out and framed her face and she turned the corner into the kitchen. He was standing at the island, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. He had a plate of food next to him. She leaned against the door frame and smiled at him, watching him. Tim must have felt her staring and looked up at her. He smirked when he saw Brandi standing there in his shirt with her hair like that. He had to look away so he wouldn't stare for too long. He turned and grabbed a mug off the counter.

"I got coffee." He said. "Want any?" Brandi bit her lip and smiled.

"What kind of question is that?" She teased and walked across the kitchen. He was in a pair of grey sweats and a tight black shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He snorted and nodded and started pouring her coffee. Brandi slowly came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. She rested her head between his shoulder blades and sighed through her nose. She could feel him laughing quietly.

"Good morning." He said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. She grinned and let him go as he turned and handed Brandi her coffee. She took it and thanked him. "You hungry?" He asked as he grabbed a plate and put some food on it.

"Isn't it a bit late for breakfast food?" Brandi asked, smiling softly. Tim smirked and set her plate at a seat at the island.

"It's never too late for breakfast food." He told her as she sat on the stool. She just hummed with a smile and sipped her coffee. "You sleep ok?" He asked, looking at her. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I don't remember the last time I slept that good." She assured him. He nodded, his small smile still on his face. "Anything good in the paper?"

Brandi almost didn't want to go to work on Monday. The weekend was too short. She had spent most of Saturday with Tim, but had gone home later in the evening and spent Sunday alone. She did, however, manage to get an extra hour of sleep and went in late. Art was almost worried. She walked into a busy office and sat at her desk.

"You're late." Art said as he walked over to the copy machine.

"Actually, I'm still early." She pointed out. Art just chuckled at her. She fought the urge to throw something at him. Just because she got more sleep, didn't mean she was in a good mood. Her head throbbed from some sinus issue. She shrugged it off as allergies.

"Not enough coffee this morning?" Tim asked from his desk, messing with his stress ball as he leaned back. She just hummed. Rachel walked in and they all shared their morning greetings and traditional picking on Raylan before he got in. And even when he got in, if he ever came in on time.

When Raylan did actually show up, They were standing around Rachel's desk. Art was closest to Rachel, by her side. Brandi was standing in front of Rachel's desk.

"what's goin' on?" Raylan asked as he walked over. Brandi looked at him as he stood next to her.

"Got a call from the receptionist at the half way house where my brother-in-law, Clinton, is paroled." Rachel explained and Brandi could hear the venom in her voice. Clinton may be her brother in law, but there was no love between them.

"Apparently, he beat the shit outta his program manager." Tim said somberly. Everyone was serious, the usual banter and light atmosphere was gone. "And took off."

"Your brother in laws on parole?" Raylan asked Rachel slowly. Art was looking for something in Rachel's desk it seemed.

"Long story." She said in almost a sigh and handed Raylan a picture of her brother in law as Art stood upright.

"The receptionist sat on her ass for over an hour before she called it in." Art told him, flipping through some documents. Raylan looked confused and Brandi spoke up.

"The program manager told her not to call it in." She explained and shifted her weight, and crossing her arms. "He said he knew where Clinton was heading and wanted to bring him back on his own." Raylan's brows were furrowed as he listened to the information.

"Does the receptionist know where he's headed?" Raylan asked.

"Nope." Tim told him simply. Rachel sighed and Brandi looked at her coworker.

"It's my nephew, Nick, Clinton's son. It's his birthday." Rachel told the group. "I'm guessing he's gonna make a bee line for the school."

"You already put a bolo out for him, Art?" Brandi asked.

"Naw, I figured since it's just your brother-in-law, Rachel, I'll just let it side." Art said sarcastically and Rachel rolled her eyes and picked up the phone. Brandi had a small smile, Art always knew how to lighten the mood.

"We'll need a team to lock down the school campus." Rachel said as she put her hand on her hip.

"Absolutely," Art said and turned to Rachel. "But you won't be taking lead." Rachel laughed in disbelief.

"Chief-." She said, starting to argue.

"No." He said, shutting her down. "You just get Nick, you bring him back here." He said and turned to Raylan. "Raylan, you set up and wait." He ordered and walked in the direction of his office. Brandi saw Rachel put the phone down with a sigh. She gave her a sympathetic look and offered a small smile in an attempt to comfort. Rachel offered one back and nodded, getting the message. Raylan followed Art.

"How much of a bad guy is he?" He asked Art. "Head in a duffel bag or just an asshole?" He asked and Art handed him a sheet of paper. Tim went back to his desk.

"You ok?" Brandi asked Rachel quietly. She nodded and moved things around on her desk.

"I'll live." She assured Brandi. "Thanks."

"Brandi!" Art called. Brandi hummed and spun, facing Art. "Go with Rachel, just in case."

"Yes, sir." Brandi said and turned to Rachel. "You mind if I drive?" She asked and Rachel offered a small smile.

"Nope. Go for it." Rachel told her. Picking up her nephew wasn't much of an issue, neither was getting him back to the office. Nick was a sweet kid and Brandi liked him. When they got back to the office, Nick was set up at Rachel's desk and online. Rachel was exasperated with the two who were looking for a man for her on a dating site.

"Don't you have something better to do?" She asked Brandi with a smile and Brandi smiled back, glad to see a smile on her coworkers face. "And you were supposed to be playing solitaire." She said to her nephew as she came around her desk and saw it was just a criminal profile still up on her screen. Brandi stood and left the two and went to her own desk.

"How she holdin' up?" Tim asked Brandi quietly. She sighed as she sat at her desk.

"She's doin' fine. Just stressed as far as I could tell." Brandi told him quietly and Rachel picked up her ringing phone. "I think she's worried how this is gonna play out."

"I don't blame her." Tim said and the two turned to Rachel as she put her phone down on the receiver a bit heavier than usual. Brandi could see the murder in her eyes. "Yikes." Tim said quietly. Brandi stood from her desk again and made her way over to Rachel's desk.

Tim couldn't hear the conversation, but when Raylan walked into the room, Brandi's eyes shot up and she walked away back to her desk. She almost looked like she was running away. And after seeing the way Rachel was talking to Rayaln at first, Tim couldn't blame her.

"Anything on the partial?" She asked as Art came over to the two.

"The only chevelle with those numbers belongs to a drug dealer." He told her and Rachel's face seem to harden.

"Well, look no further." She said calmly and listened as Art told them the name of the dealer and the name he goes by.

"Anything from your mother?" Art asked as Rachel looked at the file.

"No, there's no answer. So I'm heading there now." She explained. Art looked at her carefully.

"Do you want to go there?" He asked. "Or do you need to go there?" Rachel smiled humorlessly.

"You honestly think I wanna cap my brother in law?" She asked rhetorically and walked away. Art walked over to Brandi.

"Brandi, go with her." He told her. Brandi looked at him, frowning slightly before nodding and standing. She grabbed what she need and headed out. She met up with Rachel who was on her phone, waiting for the elevator. She was texting someone. They stood in silence for a bit before Brandi spoke up.

"Art said he killed your sister." Brandi stated bluntly but softly.

"Wondering how?" Rachel asked, guessing. "Driving while high." She answered bluntly and Brandi looked at her with sympathy as the elevator opened. "Wrapped their miatta around a telephone pole. Shaunie went through the windshield." The ride down was silent and the first part of the drive was silent, too. After a while, Brandi felt she should say something. She felt for Rachel. Brandi herself knows what it's like to lose a sibling. But she didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Was the only thing she said. She said it blandly and without warning. Rachel looked at her with a small smile before looking back out ahead. There were at her mother's house before long and Brandi killed the engine and they climbed out. Brandi followed her up to the front door.

"Ma," Rachel called. "open up." They stood there in silence for a bit. Rachel looked back at Brandi before ringing the bell again and calling out. "Ma!" She called. Rachel sighed and opened the door while Brandi pulled out her gun, ready for whatever was inside. Rachel entered first and drew her gun. There was broken ceramic on the floor and the two went around the corner slowly.

Brandi followed Rachel down the hall and watched as Rachel tried the door with two bullet holes in it. Brandi didn't like where this was going.

"Ma." Rachel called out. Brandi moved next to her and Rahcel looked at the shorter woman and stepped back, nodding. Rachel wasn't wearing the right shoes to kick down the door. Brandi kicked hard and the door swung open. Brandi let Rachel go in first, both with their guns ready. Rachel stopped and Brandi looked past her. Someone was lying down in the closet and Brandi felt her stomach drop. Rachel put her gun away and moved to the woman on he floor. The woman began moving and RAhcel moved into the closet. When Brandi walked to the doorway, Rachel was untying her mother. She couldn't help but sigh quietly in relief.

"I am not defending him, I am trying to explain him!" Rachel's mother said to her daughter sternly. He had taken her car, gun and extra clip, and apparently she thinks Rachel wants to kill the man too. "He was taking Shaunie to the emergency room when they crashed." Her mother explained as Brandi's phone went off. Brandi nodded and stood up from leaning against the wall.

"Excuse me." She said and moved into the next room. " Calhoun." She said. Brandi could hear the other two women arguing as she took in the news from her phone call. She assured them they would be there soon. She hung up and moved into the room again. "Sorry, ma'am. We have to get going." Brandi faced Rachel. "Clinton called the office looking for you. He wants to make a deal." Rachel looked a little surprised and her mother looked at her.

They were driving back in silence. The tension was so thick, you could cut it like a knife. Brandi wasn't sure what to say. What do you say in this kind of situation?

"You ok?" She asked. Might as well start somewhere.

"I'm fine." Rachel answered quickly. Brandi snorted and Rachel looked at her. "What do you want, Brandi?" Rachel asked. Brandi thought for a second. What did she want?

" I wanna know if you're ok." Brandi asked firmly and Rachel did her unamused smile.

"I'm hunting down my sister's killer." Rachel told her, almost snappishly. "But I'm not gonna kill him, if that's what you're thinking."

"It's not." Brandi assured her. "I'm not worried about you shooting him or not. I couldn't care less. I wanna make sure you're ok." She explained as she drove. There was a small silence between the two and Brandi sighed. "When I was a small kid," Brandi began, "I had a brother, Leo. He was older, but he looked out for me after our pa died. My moma would get so drunk she wouldn't know her ass from a hole in the ground. She would scream and holler and throw things around." Brandi explained. Rachel looked at her coworker. "She would get violent, too. And leo, he uh, when my moma got like that, he would take me out for a drive, to get me outta her path of destruction. When storms rolled in, I'd go crawl in his bed. When moma was out running around with the Crowders, Leo was out earning money, putting food on the table, making sure I got to school. He dropped outta high school to make sure he had a job that would pay him enough to keep up alive. All my moma ever did was drink the money away." She told her with a humorless smile. "Leo was my best friend. And he always made me smile, no matter how bad a day. And I miss him still." Rachel frowned, having an idea of where this was going, but she wasn't sure.

"Where is he now?" Rachel asked.

"Six feet under in the family plot at the Calhoun house." Brandi said bluntly. "Drunk driver in a pickup truck crushed his car on the way home one night. Leo had a small beat up little car. By the time the truck was done with that car, they didn't even have to crush it at the junk yard."

"How old were you?" Rachel asked, understanding why she was telling this story.

"I was eleven when he died." Brandi said quietly. "So, if you need to talk, or whatever, and it feels like no one around you understand, I just want you know, I get it." She said and glanced at Rachel. "I get it. And I know, it might have been a long time ago, but with everything going on today, you gotta be feelin' something." The two women sat in silence. Rachel smiled softly to herself, touched that Brandi opened up, just to let her know she wasn't alone. They were halfway back to the station when Rachel spoke to her.

"Thanks." She said, turning to face Brandi. Brandi hummed and nodded with a small smile. They rode in silence for a little longer until Rachel spoke up again. "I miss her every day." She admitted.

"Tell me about her." Brandi said. Rachel looked at her confused and Brandi glanced at her, seeing her confusion. "Tell me about your sister. What was she like? What did you two do as kids? Tell me about her." Brandi suggested. Rachel leaned back in her seat, glad that Art made Brandi come with her.

Brandi and Rachel pulled up to the place and saw all the other Marshal's vehicles. They climbed out and ran over to Art, Raylan, and Tim, getting the instructions on how to proceed and what's going on. They moved quickly and Tim entered first. They had gotten there just as some shit with two other men went down. They all filed in, guns pointed. A shot was fired and the man with the gun turned to the four of them. Rachel and Brandi both pulled the trigger, he went down.

"Don't move!" Rachel shouted to the other two men. She moved infront of Raylan and Tim. Clinton had the man sitting and a gun to his head.

"Where's my son?" He asked.

"You honestly thought I would bring him here?" Rachel asked angrily.

"I need to see my son!" Clinton shouted. "I just wanted to give him his gift." He told her. "Shit." He mumbled. Rachel slowly started moving forward. He noticed and started shouting again. "Get back!"

"Don't shoot!" Rachel yelled. No one moved, but everyone tensed. Any second now, there could be a shoot out, and at least one person would leave in a body bag. "Is this how you want Nick to remember his twelfth birthday? His father shooting an innocent man?" After a few tense moments, Clinton sighed and tossed the gun to the ground. The moment the gun was out of reach, Tim put his gun away and moved behind Clinton, picking him up.

"Get up." He ordered as Rachel kept Clinton at gunpoint. Brandi lowered her gun and reached at the counter behind her, grabbing a lot of napkins. She kept her gun out but lowered and made her way to the man who had his fingers shot off. She handed them to him and he thanked her. She nodded and he wrapped them around the open wound as he stood.

"Come with me." She ordered and put a hand on the large man's shoulder. "Let's get you outside." She explained and led him out. As she passed Raylan she spoke to him. "I'll tell Art to call a bus." He nodded and she left with the man. Once outside, she led him over to a vehicle and Art met her there. "Call a bus. We shot one, this one got his fingers shot off. Clinton's in cuffs." She explained. He nodded and grabbed a radio, calling it in. He sighed and pulled out a pen. He had a clipboard to keep track of what went down and when.

"Brandi, you got the time?" He asked as people began filing out of the building. Brandi pulled out her phone and frowned. "What's that look for?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Nothing just a bunch of missed calls." She explained. "It's quarter to eight. No idea who these are from." She said. It began buzzing again and she frowned. It was still the strange number. "Mind if I take this?" She asked.

"Well, we're just wrapping up now. Sure." Art said and nodded. She nodded in thanks and answered the phone.

"Hello?" She said and walked a few feet away for privacy. She watched as Tim shoved Clint in a cop car and Raylan and Rachel walked over to Art.

"I'm looking for Brandi Calhoun." A woman's voice said over the phone. Brandi frowned.

"This is she. Who is this?" Brandi asked.

"My name is Doctor McMurphy, calling from the Middlesboro Hospital." The doctor said. Brandi frowned. "You were listed as the emergency contact number for Maura Banes and her daughter Grace Banes. Is this correct?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, what's goin' on?" Brandi asked and put her hand on her hip. Her face was in a scowl and she looked over her shoulder. Tim had joined the group and Art was talking to Raylan about something.

"I'm sorry, but there has been an accident and we need you to come to the hospital immediately." The doctor explained. Brandi felt as if ice water was just dumped over her.

"What happened?" Brandi asked, her voice flat.

"Mr and Mrs Banes are in critical condition and we need you here in case their situation worsens. You may be forced to make a call for their well being." The doctor explained. Brandi lowered her head and closed her eyes. She sighed heavily and fought back tears. She didn't want to ask, she already knew the answer, but she asked anyway. "And their daughter? Grace Banes?" She asked, lifting her head up. Tim and Rachel, who were standing off to the side from Raylan and Art, overheard her asking about Grace. They turned to her, listening in. The doctor was silent and Brandi's stomach dropped to the seventh level of hell. "Shit." She said.

"I'm sorry. But we need you here. Can we expect you within the next two hours?" The woman asked.

"Yeah." She answered, not able to say much else. Her breathe caught in her lungs and her head throbbed. She hung up the phone and stared at it like she'd never seen it before. She could hear her heart beat pounding in her ears. Tim and Rachel shared a look before Tim called out to her.

"Brandi!" He called. "Everything alright?" He asked. She looked at him, frowning and concerned. She almost looked confused. Without a word, she spun on her heel and took off in a dead sprint for her truck. Her breathing was rushed as she yanked open the door and climbed in. She stepped on the gas and flew out of the arking lot like a bat out of hell, leaving her coworkers scratching their heads in confusion. "That was unexpected." Tim said to Rachel and Art and Raylan walked over.

"She ok?" Raylan asked.

"What was that about?" Art asked. "She say anything to you two?" Tim shook his head.

"No, she just looked at us funny and took off." Rachel explained.

"Sounded like something to do with her god daughter, Grace." Tim said and shrugged.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure she'll tell us tomorrow." Art said, shrugging as well. "Or at least give us a chance to corner her and ask."

"I don't know if you've noticed," Rachel said, "but Brandi doesn't exactly do personal conversations well." Art just smiled at her.

"I have my ways." Art said teasingly. "Besides, I'm sure Tim here could figure it out for us." He said and clapped him on the shoulder. Tim kept his face blank but looked at Art.

"I can give you a lift home." Raylan offered to Rachel. She nodded and smiled.

"Just a lift back to the office is fine." She said. "Thanks Raylan."

It only took Brandi a little over an hour to get there. She ran in the building and stopped at the front desk. The nurse looked at her, taken back by her panicked look.

"Maura Banes. Maura Banes! What floor?" She shouted panicked at the nurse.

"Are you Ms. Calhoun?" The nurse asked and Brandi nodded her head so hard the nurse was worried it would fall off. "Third floor, the nurse up there will help you."

"Thanks." Brandi said and took off running again and ran up the stairs. She was out of breathe as she reached the third floor's reception desk. Her heart was racing from the running and from the panic. Where was Maura, what was going on? "I'm Brandi Calhoun, here for Maura Banes." She said.

"I need to see ID and you need to sign in here." The nurse said tiredly and pointed at a clipboard. Brandi showed her Id and signed in. "Ms. Banes is in room 394. The doctor will see you in a minute." The nurse explained. That's all she told Brandi. Brandi stood there, looking at the nurse and breathed in deeply. She needed to calm down. Brandi turned and walked down the hall and the farther she went down the hall, the more she shook. Her heart was racing and her stomach was doing flips. It was hard for her to breathe. She found room 394 and was struggling to bring herself into the room. She didn't know if she could handle seeing her closest friend lying in that hospital bed. Brandi's eyes sarted to blur as tears began to spring up. She forced them back. Now was not the time to be crying, she couldn't let Maura see her like this. She had to be strong.

Brandi stepped into the room and one look at Maura almost had her on the ground. She had a neckbrace on and her head was wrapped in gauze. Bruise were forming all over the skin that was showing, and there were small and large cuts scattered all over. Her eyes were closed and she had casts on her arm and leg. The other wrist had a brace and bandages going all the way up into her gown. Her usually bright blonde hair was a matted mess on the pillow around her. She was hooked up to so many machines. There was a mask over her mouth that hooked up to the machine that breathed for her. Brandi gasped and walked back out of the room with a hand over her mouth. The tears came back and she shut her eyes, squeezing them tight, fighting back the tears. She stood like that in the hall for a few minutes in silence, trying to get her frantic breathing under control.

"Ms. Calhoun?" A man's voice called softly. She sniffed and opened her eyes and turned to the man. He was in scrubs and his mask was lowered to his neck. "I'm Dr. Koloski. I'm Ms. Banes' surgeon." He explained and Brandi nodded.

"Is she going to be ok?" Brandi asked first. "Where's her husband?" Her voice was rushed and she was bordering on a frantic panic. "What happened? Do you know what happened?" The surgeon looked at her sadly and sighed slowly.

"There was an accident. They were coming down the mountain too fast and didn't slow down for a turn. They rolled down the mountain and onto the road again. From what I understand, the car landed on its hood, crushing the car." He explained. "Their daughter was dead on arrival."

"How?" Brandi asked, trying to be firm and keep her voice from breaking. The surgeon looked at her, unsure of whether or not she could take it.

"Broken neck." He told her. "There was nothing they could do." Dr. Koloski looked at her before continuing. "Ms. Banes' is schedueled for surgery in one hour. But we need your consent to do it. We already had her in surgery but there were some complications. As for her husband," He paused here and looked at the shorter woman. "I'm sorry, he didn't make it out of surgery." Brandi looked down and ran a hand over her face.

"Has Maura woken up?" Brandi asked in a whisper. He shook his head.

"No. I'm sorry." He told her. Brandi nodded and looked up at him, sniffing, trying to fight back those tears.

"What's going to happen? What's wrong with her?" Brandi asked, trying to be brave and strong, trying to keep it together.

"We did what we could to stop the bleeding, but now we have a problem." He began. "As it is, we can't stop the bleeding in her kidneys. We can remove them, but she would have to be on dialysis until she can get a transplant. If we leave her be, she will die."

"What are her chances of survival after the surgery?" Brandi asked.

"The surgery itself is simple, however, her body has taken too much damage. The chances of her surviving the surgery alone is slim, but it's a better chance than if we just leave her alone. We need your permission to go ahead with the surgery." Brandi looked at Maura again. She heard the surgeon sigh. "She's scheduled for surgery in an hour. Is that enough time to decide?" HE asked. Brandi looked at him and nodded.

Brandi was scared. She didn't know what to do. She was sitting next to her best friend in a hospital, over an hour away from her new friends, away from her home, completely alone with Maura's life in her hands. She held Maura's bandaged hand and thought in silence. Brandi had sat there, still as a statue for almost the entire hour. She didn't know what to do and she was scared. Her heart was still racing and she wanted to throw up. Her blood was pumping so fast and loud, she almost didn't notice the machines beeping widly next to her. She didn't realize what was going on into a nurse rushed passed her, shouting for other nurses. Brandi was gently grabbed by her shoulders and lead out of the room. She was snapped by into reality.

"She's crashing!" One of the nurses yelled. Brandi frantically gripped the scrubs of the nurse who pulled her out of the room.

"What's going on?" She asked weakly. "What's happening?"

"She's going into cardiac arrest." The nurse told her gently but with a firm tone. "We need your decision, now." Brandi just nodded.

"Do it." She said. "Just, do what you can." The nurse informed the surgeon and Maura was rushed into surgery. Brandi was given coffee to drink by a nurse who had seen her pacing the hall nervously. Her hair was in a mess within the first half hour. She sat and stood and sat and stood again. Brandi paced and bit at her nails and lips. She pulled at her hair and ran her hands through it. Her coat was on a seat, but she wasn't sitting the entire time. Every time she tried to sit, she couldn't sit still.

Her phone would buzz with a missed call or text. Rachel had texted her, asking if she was ok. Art had called within the first ten minutes of her drive to the hospital. She let it go to voicemail. Raylan called once or twice but didn't leave a voice message. Art called off and on until around midnight, where Brandi assumed he fell asleep. Tim called her, left voice messages. Not as often as Art, but often enough.

Brandi didn't see them after a while. She had turned off her phone and tossed it onto her jacket. Many of these calls, she didn't even know about. She had too much on her mind. Maura went into surgery a little past ten, but around midnight, the surgeon walked out into the lobby, where Brandi was waiting, holding her breathe.

To an onlooker, there was a surgeon who has had a long night, and it showed on his face and in his posture. To an onlooker, there was a short woman, tired, exhausted, who had just lost the last person she considered family. She was finally able to sit still. She sat on the seat, processing what had happened, and what needed to be done. The world around her blurred into the background, everything was muffled and she just sat there, staring at her hands.

They let her be for a while, but they had three bodies in their morgue and they needed to know where to send them. Maura's husband had family, that was who they were visiting. Maura didn't have family. Her mother died a few years ago from cancer. That's why Brandi was her emergency contact number. They were supposed to switch it to her husband, but they never got around to it.

Brandi would have to plan the funeral for Maura and Grace. She would also have to inform Maura's in laws. With this realization, Brandi stood and straightened her shirt. She cleared her throat and let her feet lead her to her truck. The drive to the parents' house was long and silent. The road was dark and she was lost in her own thoughts, barely paying attention to where she was going.

Her hair was pulled back into a bun as she pulled on her tan jacket and climbed up the steps on the front porch. Brandi was numb as she knocked on the front door. She had to knock a few times to wake them up. She couldn't blame them, it was about three in the morning, and she would give anything not to have to tell them, to let them have one more night thinking their son and granddaughter were still alive. A part of brandi wondered why they weren't called by the hospital, but didn't think about it for too long. The front door opened and Maura's mother in law was standing behind the door. They had met each other during Maura's wedding.

"Brandi? Is that you?" She asked, putting her glasses on. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"May I come in?"

There was a solemn cloud hanging over everyone the next day. The usual banter was gone, and Brandi wasn't in. Even Raylan showed up before her. Rachel had shared some of what she shared with Brandi, with the men in Art's office. They swapped family stories about how crazy their families were.

When Brandi came up, they talked about how they couldn't reach her and what not. They shared their concerns, but came to the conclusion that she could handle whatever was going in. After the depressing conversations, they each went their separate ways. Raylan talked to Rachel about the shooting. He knew what she would be going through. They were the only two in the office. Tim had left already.

Tim had his own concerns. Brandi had just disappeared on them without warning, and no one could reach her. He was a little concerned. And his concern grew when he walked into the office the next morning to find her desk empty and untouched. There were no signs of her even stopping by. He tried calling one more time. There was no answer.

"She'll come back, Tim." Art said as he walked by, nose buried in a file. "Always does." Tim just watched his boss head into his office. About half an hour later, Rachel came in and noticed the empty desk too and frowned.

"She still not in?" Rachel asked. Tim just nodded and hummed before leaning back in his chair and turning to her.

"Art says she'll be back though. We shouldn't worry." Tim said. Rachel looked at him with a small smile.

"I'm not worried if you aren't." She said and sat down. Then she frowned. "It was just odd. She usually just doesn't bale like that." Tim hummed.

"I'm not worried if you aren't." He told her. Both knew the other was at least a little concerned. Raylan came in and walked past her desk. He looked at it, but said nothing. He was in Art's office for a while. Tim was still at his desk and Rachel was getting coffee. It was almost ten in the morning.

Brandi stepped off the elevator and brushed past the people in the hall, her eyes, dazed and just staring a head of her. She was shaking slightly and felt like she couldn't quite get her motor skills under control as she walked into the office area. She didn't notice people staring at her as she walked in. She was on autopilot. She hadn't slept and was running on the multiple cups of coffee she's had, but they were wearing off now.

Rachel stared at her from her spot at the coffee machine. Brandi looked terrible. Some of her hair was in a bun and some of it was around her face in a tangled mess. Her shirt was half untucked and she wasn't wearing her coat. Her eyes had dark, dark circles under them and she was pale.

Tim stared at her from his desk, not moving. He could see her shaking and watched her as she stiffly moved to her desk. She dropped a file from the previous day on her desk and looked around her work area. She knit her eyebrows and she looked confused. Brandi rubbed her face and grabbed the small picture frame. It was a picture of Maura and Grace. She was just looking at it.

Out of his peripheral, he saw Rachel move back to her desk but remained standing. Tim could see her hands shaking and she seemed dazed. Her head bobbed like she was dizzy and she looked like she was struggling to breathe.

"You ok?" He asked quietly. She didn't seem to hear him, or if she did, she didn't acknowledge him. He frowned and glanced to Raylan who was standing in Art's door way. Raylan caught his eye and Tim shook his head no, telling him to stay in Art's office. Something was wrong, she looked like she was in shock. That was never a good thing for a normal human. If she was triggered into a PTSD attack, it could get even worse. "Brandi?" He asked a bit louder. Brandi jolted and looked at him like a deer in the headlights.

"Hm?" She asked a bit confused.

"You alright?" He asked again. She just looked at him and shrugged, looking back at the picture. She started grabbing a few other things.

"Maura's dead." She stated bluntly and loud enough for Raylan and Rachel to hear.

"What?" Raylan asked in his kicked puppy voice. He'd met Maura and Grace before. Maura showed up at the office one day.

"What's goin' on?" She heard Art ask and Raylan turned his head to Art.

"Maura's dead." Raylan repeated.

"Shit." Art swore.

"So is her husband." Brandi added and after a pause she continued. "And Grace." Raylan looked at her with such deep sympathy she had to look away and back to her papers. Art had come out of his office, a look of disbelief on his face.

"What happened?" Rachel asked. Tim was silent, and just watched Brandi.

"Going down a mountain too fast, rolled the car." She explained, not looking at any of them. "Grace was dead on arrival, Maura and her husband died in surgery." No one moved, no one spoke. Brandi looked up at Art firmly. "Unless you have any more questions, I'd like to go home and get some sleep. I've had a long night." Art crossed his arms and frowned with concern.

"Do the in laws know?" He asked and Brandi held his stare.

"I drove down and told them. I just got back a few minutes ago." She explained in a flat voice. Art nodded slowly. "They told me they would handle his funeral, but I'm taking care of Maura and Grace's. I insisted." She paused and looked back down at her things. "So, if that's all…" She trailed off and moved away from her desk. She nodded at Art and started walking out.

"And I thought I had a rough Monday." Rachel said quietly after Brandi left. Raylan was still staring at her while she waited at the elevator. He was frowning.

"Something doesn't make sense." He stated and turned to Art. "WAsn't her husband one of those really paranoid guys? Worried about everything?"

"As far as I know, why?" Art asked, looking at Raylan.

"Why would he be flyin' down a mountain?" He asked. "It's usually just stupid kids doin' that. And they'd have been having to go real fast to wreck it that bad."

"What are you thinking Raylan?" Rachel asked, walking over. Raylan paused and shrugged.

"I'll make a few calls, see if I can get the report faxed over." Art said, seeing what Raylan was saying, and returned to his desk. Rachel followed him into his office and Raylan and Tim shared frowns before Raylan moved to his desk. Tim sighed and looked to see if Brandi was still at the elevator. When he saw she was, he stood and left the offices. The doors were opening and he barely made it in as the doors closed. Brandi looked at him, slightly startled.

"What are you doing?" She asked and he looked at her.

"You ok?" He asked, looking at her. She could see the concern on his face but faced the doors, looking away.

"I'll be fine." She stated. Tim hit the emergency stop button and Brandi didn't move. Tim took a step closer.

"Brandi." He said and she looked at him. "What's goin' on?" He asked. "Tell me if you're not ok." She didn't say anything but hit the emergency stop button, starting the elevator again. Tim sighed and backed off. She didn't say anything until the elevator stopped again.

"I'll be fine." She said again. "I just need sleep." Brandi explained and turned her head to look at him as the doors opened. "I don't need to be treated like glass." She said almost bitterly and stepped off. Tim nodded, hearing the hollow tone in her voice, but let it go. He sighed through his nose and watched her leave. He knew she wasn't made of glass, but people have their breaking points. She's not made of steel. The door shut again and Tim hit the button to go up. He should check up on her later.


	5. Chapter 5

Tim did stop by to check on her but she just opened the door like a zombie. He showed a bag of chicken he had brought with him. She politely declined any offers of food, beer, and company. Brandi shut the door and sat back on the bed. She had things to do.

Art had given her off the next few days to plan the funeral. No one at the office had heard from her until art's phone rang. He picked it up.

"Brandi?" Art asked and looked up, into the bullpen. He saw that Rachel, Tim, and Raylan had all looked in his direction. "Let me put you on hold." He told her and set the phone down. He stood and closed the door. He picked up the phone but made sure to face the wall so no one could work out what he was saying.

When Art turned back around after hanging up, he was a bit startled. Three Marshalls were standing outside of the office, peering in, waiting for the news. HE sighed and shook his head before opening the door and letting them file in.

"The funeral is tomorrow." Art told them. "She invited us to go, if we didn't have anything special to do."

"Well, I'd just play solitaire," Tim said while shrugging, "Might as well." Art looked at him, exasperated.

"I'll be attending as well," Art told them, "you are all welcome to join me. I offered to take Brandi to breakfast, but she declined, saying she'll meet us at the service. Let me know before you leave today."

"I think it's safe to say we'll all be there." Raylan told him smiling slightly.

Art had picked up Rachel but Tim and Raylan came in their own vehicles. Raylan had brought Wynona. They were surprised to see Ava had joined them, but even more so when they saw Boyd was with her. The three younger Marshalls gaped when Boyd and Brandi shook hands. Ava had given her a hug, but that was less surprising.

Then Raylan remembered Brandi was a Calhoun, it's no surprise that she would have been familiar with the Crowders, willing or not. Ava and Boyd went into the area they were all gathering and the four walked up and Brandi turned to them. Her eyes weren't red, but the bags under her eyes contrasted with her pale face and made her look ghostly. Even her smile looked like it took an enormous amount of effort.

"Hi." She greeted. "Thanks for coming." She said and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Most of it was pulled back in a braid. She didn't wear any makeup. Her dress was a simple cotton A-line that fell to her knees. She wore black nylons and small heels. It was simple, plain and unassuming. But around her neck was a necklace she always wore.

Art gave her a small hug, and she returned it. Rachel hugged her tightly, Tim gave her a nod and Raylan, a small pat on the shoulder. They headed in, but Brandi had to stick around to welcome other late arrivals. The four of her coworkers milled around, and found it was just a small gathering of those who either knew Brandi or knew Maura. Tim watched as he drank coffee, keeping to himself. He watched as Brandi worked her way around the room. She didn't say more than two words to her coworkers the entire time.

It took a few hours before people started to leave. After another hour, a very small group followed the herse to the plot of land on the Calhoun plantation. Turns out, it wasn't sold in the auction, no one wanted it. Brandi was able to get the property, since she was the only living relative of the Calhoun's. Maura was family to her, and Maura's parents were fine with Maura and Grace being buried there. Kentucky was Maura's home.

"This was a weird funeral." Tim mumbled to his coworkers. Rachel hummed in agreement. They'd been to funerals before, but they usually had services. This was just people walking around, talking.

"You remember how to get to the Calhoun's?" Art asked Raylan. Raylan nodded.

"Unless it got up and moved," He told Art. "I'll see you there." He climbed into his car and started the engine.

There weren't many people who showed up for the burial. The parents of Maura and her husband, the Marshals, and Brandi, stood as the caskets were lowered and dirt was piled on. The family had left before the caskets were completely buried, but Brandi stood there, just staring at the two graves. She had brought with her two wreaths. The one she set on Maura's had yellow roses and baby's breath. The one on Grace's grave also had baby's breath but was also filled with pink roses. They were beautiful and simple.

Art put a hand on Brandi's shoulder and started walking back to his car. Needing a ride from Art, Rachel had to follow suit. She grave Brandi a hug and told her to call if she needed to talk. Brandi just smiled at her and bid her good bye.

"Guess we should get outta your hair, too." Raylan said and tipped his hat at her. She smiled and Wynona gave her a gentle hug as well.

"Thank you for coming," She said, nodding to them. "Both of you." She watched them leave and turned back to the graves. Tim watched her. Brandi sat down right at the foot of Maura's grave. She sat there, quiet for a while, but then she spoke to Tim, not looking at him. "You can go."

"So much for that southern hospitality." He drawled.

"You're welcome to stay in that dump, too if you wanted." She told him, waving a hand at the house that sat on the edge of the tree line. He looked at it. In its prime, it would have been a beautiful house. It was stone with faded green shutters and copper gutters. Well, they were copper, but they had been stolen and scrapped for cash. Some of the panes and shutters had fallen off and some of the windows were boarded up. The screen door was hanging half off its hinges. The paint was chipped and faded, and the house looks like it had been abandoned for decades.

Tim began walking towards the house. He walked up the front porch steps, skipping the step that had fallen in. The porch creaked under his boots and he pushed open the door. It opened at his touch and he peered in. It was dark and dusty and he saw a hall right before him. The floors were hardwood and the wall paper was peeling off the walls. A staircase lead upstairs and on the right was a doorway leading to another room. There was another doorway right across the hall on the left leading to what looked to be a dining area. The other room was a sitting area. He walked into the entry hall and looked into the living room. There was a gym bag, a lantern sitting on her trunk, a book, and a sleeping bag on the ground. She had set up camp, and it looked as if she had been here for a few days.

Tim sighed through his nose and let the screen door shut behind him as he walked back down off the porch. The gravel crunched under his boots and he looked over at Brandi. She still sat at Maura's grave, still as the tombstone in front of her. He kept walking.

After while, Brandi noticed the sun was setting. She stood and dusted off her dress and walked up to her house of her child hood. She never thought she'd willingly be back here. But now it was hers to fix up and inhabit.

Brandi stood at the bottom of her porch steps with her hands on her hips. Tim was sitting on one of the old rocking chairs, and Brandi was surprised it hadn't broken under his weight. They were old chairs.

"I haven't had this house under my name for more than two weeks," Brandi stated. "And I already got a guest."

"Is it an unwelcome guest?" Tim asked as he brought the beer in his hand up to his mouth.

"Why?" Brandi asked, smirking, as she took a step up the stairs. "Worried of offending lil' ole me?"

"No." Tim told her, glad to see her smiling again, or smirking. "Wondering if I should be looking out for a sawed off shotgun." Brandi looked at her feet before smiling up at him.

"If you have another beer, I think you're ok." She told him and walked up the steps and crossed her arms. She had taken out her braid so her hair was loose. She flipped it over her shoulder. Tim was already handing it over. She took it and leaned against the rail. "So, what are you here for?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the funeral's over, everyone's gone." She pointed out. "Why are you still here?"

"Can't be because I worry about my coworker?" Tim asked hopefully.

"If Raylan's bet friend died, would you be sticking around afterwards?" She asked. Tim thought.

"Isn't his best friend Boyd?" Tim asked. Brandi thought about it too. Maybe?

"Ok, Rachel, or Art, or whoever we work with." She said, waving her hand around. "Why are you here?" She asked. He looked at her, eyeing her up and down and thinking out his next sentence. Brandi was closing in on herself, and everyone could see it. She had holed herself up for the past week in the house where she grew up, and her coworkers knew she didn't have the happiest of households, hell did any of them?

"What was she like?" He asked her. Brandi didn't see that coming. She frowned.

"I'm sorry?" She asked.

"Tell me about her." He said and patted the chair next to him. "What was she like when you were younger? What did you guys do for fun? What's a funny story about you two getting arrested?"

"How do you know we got arrested?" Brandi asked, almost defensively. Tim gave her a stare. She knew that stare. She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her beer before sitting down.

"Did I tell you how we met?"


End file.
